Saving Columbus Day
For much of its history, the United States regarded Columbus as a figure worthy of admiration. Columbus Day is among America’s oldest patriotic holidays, first celebrated in the 18th century. The inaugural celebration took place on October 12, 1792, when the New York Society of Tammany honored Columbus on the 300th anniversary of his first voyage. The United States has more monuments dedicated to Columbus than any other country in the world.
Columbus represents the beginning of a cultural exchange between America and Europe. Following his voyages, millions of European immigrants brought their art, music, science, medicine, philosophy, and religious principles to America. These contributions have deeply influenced the United States, drawing from ideals like Greek democracy, Roman law, Judeo-Christian ethics, and the belief in the equality of all people.
Italian American Heritage Month is celebrated every year to honor and recognize the centuries of achievements, successes, and valuable contributions of Italian immigrants and Italian Americans. It occurs in October to overlap with the federal holiday of Columbus Day, celebrated on the second Monday of each October. Italian American Heritage Month was first celebrated in 1989 by a special proclamation of both Congress and President George H. W. Bush.
Over 5 million Italians immigrated to the United States between 1820 and 2000. Currently, there are over 26 million Americans of Italian descent residing in the United States. Italian-Americans are the 5th largest ethnic group in our nation. Each year Italians around the country take time to celebrate their heritage, history, and culture with festivals and parades. The largest parade occurs on Columbus Day in New York City.
Italian American Heritage Month
Committed to Helping Our Local Community!
Deeply rooted in our community, the Mario Lanza Lodge recently presented a $1200 donation to the Berlin Township Police Department. This contribution continues our proud support of their K-9 program and directly aids the department in acquiring a new K-9 officer. This latest gift is just one example of our ongoing community outreach throughout the year.
MC-LEF, Educating the children of those who sacrificed all.
MC-LEF currently establishes a $35,000 educational account for every child who loses a parent serving in the United States Marine Corps or any Federal Law Enforcement Agency. Since our founding in 1995, MC-LEF has awarded over $89 million in educational accounts and other humanitarian assistance to over 4600 recipients. We have only one paid employee and, therefore, the vast majority of our efforts are performed by a dedicated group of volunteers who run our various events.
Additionally, all officers and board members are volunteers and together, run our organization so that donor funds are predominantly used to accomplish our mission of Educating the Children of Those Who Sacrificed All. We at Mario Lanza Lodge appreciate everyone who has sacrificed for us, and are committed to this cause.
For more information, see their website at https://www.mc-lef.org.