Washington - August 25, 2005 - The Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the oldest
and largest national organization for men and women of
Italian heritage, elected Vincent Sarno as its
31st National President during OSIA's 49th Biennial
National Convention in New York City August 16-21.
During the convention, OSIA also celebrated its 100th
anniversary.
"I believe in inclusion not exclusion," Sarno said during
his acceptance speech. "This is not a one-person job.
We all need to work as one toward a common goal: the
success and growth of OSIA."
The convention was held at the Grand Hyatt New York.
About 300 OSIA national delegates, national trustees,
state presidents and OSIA Board officers and their
spouses attended the convention to review OSIA's last
two years' activities, elect a new slate of national
leaders and set OSIA's cultural, philanthropic and
administrative agendas for 2005-2007.
Among the dignitaries who saluted OSIA during the
convention were New York Governor George
Pataki, New York City Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg, Deputy Consul General of Italy to New
York Paola Munzi, New York State Attorney
General Eliot Spitzer, Nassau County Executive
Thomas R. Suozzi, and New York State
Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli.
Albert De Napoli, Esq. of Walpole, MA was re-
elected national president of the Sons of Italy
Commission for Social Justice (CSJ), OSIA's anti-
defamation arm. The CSJ fights the stereotyping of
Italian Americans by the U.S. entertainment,
advertising, and media industries. It also promotes the
achievements and contributions of Italian Americans to
the U.S. through research and public education
programs.
The Hon. Robert A. Messa was elected
president of the Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF), the
philanthropic arm of OSIA. The SIF supports
scholarships, medical research, cultural preservation,
disaster relief and other special projects. Through the
SIF, OSIA has donated more than $90 million to these
causes.
The OSIA convention also honored Geno Auriemma,
who coaches the Huskies women's basketball team
at the University of Connecticut, received the 2005
OSIA Sports Award. Justice Frank J.
Montemuro, Jr., a jurist on the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court and former OSIA national president, was
honored with the OSIA's 2005 Sellaro Award.
The convention closed Saturday, August 20 with the
Marconi Gala at the Waldorf=Astoria. Astronaut
Michael Massimino received OSIA's 2005
Marconi Award, OSIA's highest honor given to a man or
woman of outstanding achievement.
OSIA has more than 600,000 members and
supporters and a network of more than 700 chapters
coast to coast. OSIA works at the community,
national and international levels to promote the
heritage and culture of an estimated 26 million Italian
Americans, the nation's fifth largest ethnic group,
according to the U.S. Census Bureau. See
www.osia.org
.
