"The purpose of this organization is to promote the heritage, culture and traditions of Italian-Americans through social, educational and recreational events. The organization shall also advance the educational development of Italian-American youth by generating and distributing funds for collegiate scholarships."
Brett Neff and the Club’s Plans for 2022
Brett Neff is the President of the Solon Italian Club. We asked him what the Club was planning for 2022. Below is his response.
The last two years have been challenging for everyone but especially for Club’s like ours that focus on in-person events. Last year we were finally able to meet even if it did require some changes in how we normally do things. We will continue to be as safe as possible but we think it’s time to start getting back to regular activities.
As we look to return to some semblance of normally, the Club will welcome back the always popular Dinner Dance as well as the Easter egg stuffing party and hunt. We plan to install a new slate of officers at our May meeting his year. It is the Board’s hope to get everyone together for a family picnic sometime in June. Our annual golf outing will again take place in July.
We plan on having a great year of fellowship and community. We wish the same for all of you.
Here’s our tentative schedule for the coming year:
January: Club meeting
February: Club meeting
March: Sausage making event/Club meeting
April: Dinner Dance
Easter egg hunt/stuffing party
Club meeting
May: Installation of officers meeting
June: Family Picnic w/significant others
July: Golf outing/Solon Home Days
August: Steak and Stogie Night
Club meeting
September: Pig roast/Club meeting
October: Clam bake
Columbus Day parade
Nov & Dec: Christmas party meeting
Kids Christmas party
Meet Our Members
Meet club member Jim D’Orazio. Jim joined the Club in 2000 and has been an active member. Jim is currently a Trustee and he manages the Club’s communications. Jim has hosted a Steak and Stogie night and helped with many Club events. He enjoys playing in the Golf Outing every year and attending the Stag Raffle. And he heads a bocce team that’s going to make the playoffs someday. He says, “I really enjoy our events but my favorite might be attending the monthly meetings. It’s great to see everyone, the conversations are fun and the food is really good.” He says, “The Club is one of the best organizations I have ever joined. Great people that have become good friends. Great commitment to community with our scholarship program. I’m honored to be a member.”
Jim’s mother, Rosa, came to America in 1948 from Montenerodomo in Abruzzi. His father’s parents also came from there in 1894. Jim’s father, Fred, grew up in Little Italy and was a member of the ISDA and the Little Italy Retirees. Jim is retired from teaching marketing at Cleveland State. He has been married to Margaret for 43 years. They have three boys. Anthony and Maria live in Columbus. Mike and Callie live in South Euclid. Brian and Megan live in Minneapolis with their sons Remy and Aiden. Jim says, “I’m proud of my boys. They have grown to be good men. And I’m sure your grandkids are cute. They might be as cute as mine. But no kids are cuter than those little boys.” Apparently Jim is happy with those grandkids.
The Club wants to thank Jim for all he has done for the Club.
Buon Compleanno!
Best wishes to the following members who celebrate birthdays in the month of December:
1/1 Michael DiCarro 1/8 Dan Cardaman 1/16 Sal Tomaselli 1/21 Dani DeRoia 1/22 Nick Canitano 1/22 Salvatore Merolla 1/22 Joe Zarlinga 1/29 Ray Kramer 1/31 Ted Chiudioni
Stag Raffle Big Success
The Stag Raffle was a great success and tremendous fun. The 195 attendees were treated to good food, ample liquid refreshment and great fellowship. It was great to see some faces we haven't seen in a while. Once again Mark Bertolone did a remarkable job running a well organized event. Much thanks to the members that helped with set up, Tom Romeo, Tom DiCarro, Mark Cancasi, Anthony D'Angelo, Angelo Carcioppolo, Brett Neff and Ron Lanci. Thanks to Al Giammaria for calling numbers and Dennis Castiglione for organizing the Texas Hold 'Em tournament.
This remains one of the most popular and best run events we do every year. See you all next November!
Christmas Card Contest
We had some outstanding entries for our first ever Christmas Card Contest. The cards are at the printer's and we are sure you'll love them. Much thanks to Ron Lanci for making this happen.
The Winners:
Winner age group 4, 5 and 6
Kira Lanci age 5
Granddaughter of Ron Lanci
Winner age group 7, 8 and 9
Kylie Hamilton age 8
Granddaughter of Ron Lanci
Winner age group 10, 11 and 12
Gianna Merolla age 11
Daughter of Sam Merolla
Judging was done by Ellen Flint of Flint Creative Marketing
Sausage Making is Delayed
Sausage making, originally scheduled for October 30, is being pushed back to after the first of the year. You have heard about supply chain problems. Well they are hitting the pork industry and Raddell's could not guarantee that they could supply 400 pounds of meat. Don DeRoia will come up with a new date when he is sure we can make it the great event it's always been.
Where Are They Now?
We wondered how some of our past Scholarship winners were doing. Today we will feature Courtney Dunn.
Courtney Dunn will be graduating from OSU in December of 2021 with a BA in International Relations and a specialization in Security and Intelligence. She has taken on leadership roles where she had the opportunity to transform student life on campus as the Director of Student Advocacy for RHAC, a counsel helping over 14,000 on-campus students. She also was a Peer Leader for over 600 first-year students welcoming them to Ohio State. Courtney says, “I would like to graciously thank the Solon Italian Club for their generosity in providing me with a scholarship that helped me further my education. Thank you for your investment in me and for representing the pride that comes with our Italian Heritage. My best advice that comes from my Nonna: "Always be Kinder than You Feel." I believe kindness will take us further than most things.”
Columbus Day Parade
The Columbus Day Parade was held on October 11th. The Club was well represented and everyone had a great time. One of the best days of the year.
Bocce Season a Big Success
The playoffs were August 24th and they were exciting. Badda Bocce defeated Team DiCarro to win Tuesday night and Italia 76 defeated Slo Your Role to win Thursday night. Badda Bocce won the Championship by defeating Italia 76.
Congratulations to Tom Smith, Chris Stallano, Bill Sobonya, Vince Indriolo on being the 2021 Bocce Champions!
Welcome New Officers and Trustees
At the July General Meeting the Club proudly welcomed Brett Neff as our new President Sam Merolla as Vice President and two new trustees, Mark Bertolone and Dominic Lanteri.
President, Brett Neff. Brett has been an important Club member since he joined us. He has run the Solon Italian Club Foundation's biggest fundraiser, the Golf Outing, for a couple of years. He has already shown great leadership in these unusual times. We look forward to his leadership for the next three years.
Vice President, Sam Merolla. Sam attends almost every event and is the unofficial club photographer. He runs the Club's Facebook page and recently served as a Trustee. Sam is committed to improving communications among Club members.
Trustee, Mark Bertolone. A member since 2000 he runs the Stag Raffle and is the unquestioned best ticket seller in the Club.
Trustee, Dominic Lanteri. A member of the Sunshine Committee Dominic heads the Clambake Committee.
Congratulations to all the winners. We're sure they'll do a great job! The Club would also like to thank Past President, Mike Rhea for his efforts and leadership during his term. Thanks also to Past Vice President Joe DiNardo for his efforts. We appreciate the great job they did leading the Club.
Badda Bocce. 2021 Champions
Winners of the Man of the Year Award. Photo by Michael Steinberg
The D'Orazio all cleaned up.
The Boys with Grandma Rosie
Hey where's Donny
Great turnout of people readyto go.
The kitchen crew does have fun.
Upcoming Events:
We hope to see you all soon!
If you haven't paid yet please don't forget to bring your membership dues of $75 to next week's meeting. If you can't make the meeting just drop a check in the mail. You can send your check, made out for $75 to the Solon Italian Club, to:
