Community

After a long hiatus, the Women’s Division of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans is bringing back the Italian Heritage Ball and Cotillion. Slated for Dec. 8 at Belvedere Banquets in Elk Grove Village, the event formally introduces young Italian-American women to the community. Debutantes will participate in events throughout the year, culminating in the cotillion. The event is open to young women from high school sophomores to the age of 23. Applications are due by June 1. For more, click here.  

The Arcolian Dental Arts Society and the Dental Arts Club will host a Lilac Mass and brunch on May 5. A 9 a.m. Mass at St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Chicago will be followed by a brunch at Cucina Biagio in Harwood Heights. The Mass, convened for decades by the Loyola University School of Dentistry to gather students and graduates in prayer, was name for the lilac color of the school’s graduation robes. The tradition was revived last year by the Arcolians, a group of Italian-American dentists, and the DAC, a group of dentists of Polish and Eastern European descent. …

The Italian American Executives of Transportation will honor Jamie Rhee as Woman of the Year and Sergio Serritella as Humanitarian of the Year at its awards dinner and celebration on Nov. 16 at Ashton Place in Willowbrook. Rhee is Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation. Named to the post in 2018, she oversees operations at O’Hare and Midway International Airports, one of the largest airport systems in the world. Over the course of a 28-year career with the city of Chicago, Rhee has served in multiple positions at the airports, from customer-service foreign-language assistant while in law school, to …

A host of perks and an attractive price tag await those who sign up as members of the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago. Members can download two e-books per month from the institute’s digital library, access Italian newspapers through a digital newsstand, borrow books and DVDs from the institute’s physical library, and receive discounted parking to institute events and discounted tickets to external events held in collaboration with the institute. A stylish tote bag reflecting the institute’s 2024 theme, In Futuro, is included. General membership is $40, with ItalCultura students paying only $25. For more, click here.  

  Longtime Fra Noi correspondent Dr. Kathryn Occhipinti has released an audiobook titled “Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Important Phrases,” with the same phrases found in her popular pocket phrase book of the same title. Recorded with native Italian and American speakers, the audiobook makes it possible to read and then listen to “all the Italian you need in order to enjoy your trip to Italy,” according to Occhipinti. The audiobook is available on Spotify and most streaming platforms, and the print version is available on Amazon.com and LearnTravelItalian.com. A radiologist of Italian descent, Occhipinti has been leading Italian-language …

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs is seeking North American families who are willing to host girls and boys, ages 15 to 18, from Italy and more than 50 other countries. The exchange students have pocket money for personal expenses and full health, accident and liability insurance, and are carefully selected based upon academics and personality, according to ASSE Midwest Regional Director Saphia Lesch. ASSE also offers qualified American students the opportunity to spend a school year, semester or summer with a host family in another country. (800-736-1760)  

The Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago has reopened its library after upgrading its catalog, adding hundreds of new titles and creating several new sections. The institute’s library contains 4,000 titles, including books and DVDs. The collection now boasts sections dedicated to Italian fiction, children and young readers, and other specialized themes. The library is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by making an appointment at iicchicago@esteri.it.  

IA Literati 2024, Casa Italia’s 20th annual celebration of local Italian-American authors, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 13 in the Florentine Room of the Italian Cultural Center of Casa Italia. The event will begin with a meet-and-greet with the writers, followed by presentations. Additional activities include book sales, book signings and raffles, and a light lunch. Admission is free, but freewill donations are encouraged and reservations are required. Several new authors, including Louis Rosati, Jeffrey Gentile, Eric Dregni, Albert DeGenova and Emilie Lucchesi, will take part in the event, along with veteran literati Christina Marrocco …

  Bernard Ghilarducci will be installed as president of the Mazzini Verdi Club and Giovanna Carlino will be installed as president of the Mazzini Verdi Ladies Club at an installation dinner on April 27 at the club, 9230 Belmont Ave., Franklin Park. Ghilarducci and Carlino will be accepting their gavels from outgoing presidents Luigi Banducci and Lydia Arnstein. Reservations are required by April 21. (630-443-8722)

Super Lawyers magazine has named 13 attorneys at Chicago-based Romanucci & Blandin to its 2024 Top 100 Super Lawyers, Illinois Super Lawyers and Illinois Rising Stars. Among them are several Italian-American attorneys, among them founding partner Antonio Romanucci, who ranked among the top 10 on the Illinois list. Super Lawyers relies on peer selection and review, third-party research, and professional achievement to curate its lists. Candidates are eligible as Rising Stars if they are 40 or younger or have been in practice for 10 years or less. Only 5% of attorneys in Illinois earned the Super Lawyer title and only …