THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED MAKE THE 2019 ANNUAL LUNCHEON A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS!

Thank you to our event sponsors, honorees, silent auction donors, event guests, and journal advertisers who supported our Annual Luncheon. The event, held on April 14, 2018 at the St. Regis New York, was a great success.

We were honored by the overwhelming generosity of our Platinum Sponsors—Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Mattone, Sr.; NYCB Family of Banks; Richmond County Savings Foundation and NYCB Foundation, and our Benefactors—The Briarwood Organization, LLC; Columbus Citizens Foundation; Matilda Raffa Cuomo; St. John’s University; St. John’s University School of Law; STV and TD Bank.

The event kicked off with a silent auction featuring a wide array of items, including gift certificates to some of New York City’s best restaurants along NOIAW’s “Restaurant Row”, Italian designer handbags, deluxe gourmet and wine baskets with the highest-quality Italian artisanal products, signed books and cookbooks by Italian American authors, and travel and heritage discovery packages in Italy.

Lunch was served at 1P.M. in the grand ballroom. Internationally known award winning soprano and longtime member of NOIAW Cristina Fontanelli beautifully sang the Italian and American national anthems and Rev. Bernard M. Tracey, Executive Vice President for Mission at St. John’s University, gave the invocation. NOIAW Chair Maria Tamburri welcomed guests, thanked sponsors and acknowledged distinguished members of our community.

She also thanked Co-chairs Robyn Imbimbo and Kathleen Guglielmo for their endless effort and generosity in making this event a reality. Robyn Imbimbo serves as NOIAW Board Treasurer andKathleen Guglielmo is Westchester Network Co-cordinator.

Ms. Tamburri also introduced Consul General of Italy in New York Francesco Genuardi who congratulated NOIAW for promoting Italian language and culture, and ended his remarks with the words: “Long live Italian-American women”!

NOIAW National Board Member Donna Corrado, Ph.D., LCSW  introduced NOIAW 2018 Honoree Lorraine Grillo, President of the New York City School Construction Authority. Under Ms. Grillo’s leadership, the New York City School Construction Authority successfully completed over 20 billion dollars of construction, producing over 70,000 new school seats and completed thousands of new and innovative ways to address school overcrowding including developing strong public/private partnerships with major developers across New York City.

Robyn Imbimbo introduced NOIAW 2018 Honoree Gina Gionfriddo, award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Ms. Gionfriddo is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. She has also worked as a writer/producer for the NBC dramas Law & Order; Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law & Order: True Crime: Menendez. She has also written for Cold Case (CBS), House of Cards(Netflix), Borgia (Canal Plus), and The Alienist (TNT).

Angelo Vivolo presented the Preeminent Friend of NOIAW Award to Mr. Joseph M. Mattone, Sr., CEO, The Mattone Group, LLC. for his extraordinary generosity and support. Ms. Tamburri stated: “We wish to express special appreciation to Joseph Mattone and his wife Mary Ann, our Board Secretary, for their participation as Platinum Sponsors and making this event one of our most successful.” Mr. Mattone is Chairman and CEO of The Mattone Group, a development, construction, and property management company in Queens. Mr. Mattone has given generously over his impressive life and career, and has been recognized and honored many, many times for his philanthropy, including several honors by his alma mater St. John’s University from which he earned his bachelor’s and law degrees.

Distinguished NOIAW Board Member Matilda Raffa Cuomo was unable to attend, but sent her congratulations on behalf of the Cuomos to Mr. Mattone for this well-deserved honor. Mr. Mattone, Governor Mario Cuomo and Ms. Cuomo attended St. John’s University together and established a true friendship that has spanned decades.

We are pleased to welcome Lorraine Grillo, Gina Gionfriddo and Joseph M. Mattone, Sr. into our community. They join a long list of distinguished NOIAW honorees, including our founding member, the late Hon. Geraldine A. Ferraro; Lidia Mattichio Bastianich; Anna Quindlen, Alisyn Camerota and many more.

In keeping with NOIAW’s mission to honor our ancestry and legacy as well as further strengthen and advance Italian American women, Annual Luncheon Co-chair Kathleen Guglielmo announced NOIAW’s cultural trip to Sicily in September and the 2018 Scholarship winners.

Francesca Runge & Deborah Daddio collaborated with Board Secretary, Cav. Mary Ann Mattone, RN/MPH to select our 2018 Scholarship Award recipients who are announced at the Annual Luncheon. Cav. Mary Ann Mattone, RN/MPH presented NOIAW’s 2018 scholarship awards to Victoria McGrath (The Honorable Geraldine A. Ferraro Scholarship Award, donated by John A. Zaccaro) and Giulia Pierpaoli (award donated by NYCB Bank Foundation).

Unable to be present were scholarship award winners Alessia Arianas (award donated by Richmond County Savings Foundation), Jessica Cambio (award donated by the Francesco & Mary Giambelli Foundation), Paula Romagnoli (award donated by NYCB Family of Banks) and Tina Wines (award donated by Patricia Martone in honor of David A. and Rita D. Martone).

Alyssa T. O’Connor, a 2015 Honorable Geraldine A. Ferraro Scholarship award recipient spoke about the NOIAW Scholarship Program and how it help her achieve her education goals. She is now an active member of the NOIAW Greater Washington, DC Region Council.

We wish to express our appreciation and gratitude to long-term Chair, Silent Auction Committee for Annual Luncheons Joann Sicoli, CMP, and to the dedicated NOIAW volunteers who contributed to the success of our Annual Luncheon: Jennifer Marotta, Simona Musti, Jeanette Portelli, Allison Scola, Vanessa Simone Troiano, Taylor Taglinetti, Daniela Tromba, Caroline Ziccardi. Thank you for your service to our organization!

The afternoon ended with closing remarks thanking all who made this Annual Luncheon one of the most successful to date.