Scholarship Awards of $72,000 to 59 Deserving Students
The New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc., Order Sons of Italy in America awarded $72,000 in scholarship and grant money to 59 students on Saturday, June 13th. At a special awards ceremony held at Rockland Community College, 43 students and their families were present to receive the awards. Also in attendance were Foundation President Salvatore Lanzilotta, College President Dr. Cliff Wood and Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef. The keynote speaker was the Town Clerk of Clarkstown, David Carlucci … a young public servant who spoke to the scholarship recipients about following their dreams because all things are possible in this great country of the USA.
State Scholarship Chairperson Michele Ment explained that the New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc. was formed in 1982 and since that time … through the generosity of members and friends … have awarded over $10 million dollars in scholarship and grant money. In addition, local chapters of OSIA have distributed over $180,000 … adding up to more than a quarter of a million dollars.
It was a proud day for everyone who attended … and a proud day for the New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Inc. A special scholarship was awarded in the name of New York State Senator Caesar Trunzo for all he has done to fund a portion of many of our past scholarship programs.
On behalf of the New York Grand Lodge Foundation, Cornaro Chairperson Dr. Lois Mignone, presented the Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Award to Dr. Elaine M. Toia, Associate Professor of English, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences. Dr. Toia has devoted her career to the teaching of literature and writing on the post-secondary level. This award recognizes outstanding Italian-American women in education for their significant contributions to their profession and their communities. The award is named for the first woman in history to receive a Ph.D. Elena Cornaro earned her doctorate from the University of Padua, Italy, in 1678.
Upon closing the program, Foundation President Lanzilotta spoke about the importance of family and traditional Italian values. He asked the students to remain true to themselves and to take advantage of all the educational opportunities available to them in their future. If it had not been for our ancestors coming to America to seek a better life for the families … these wonderful American opportunities would never have been available to many of us.
The program ended with the beautiful Neapolitan Italian song … “O’Sole Mio” sung by Graduate Award recipient Marco Cammarota.
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