President’s Message:

Greetings, fellow IACA Members,

It is with a heartfelt sadness that I announce the passing of one of our fellow Board Members, 1st Vice President and friend, Sandi Munari. Sandi was a valued member of our organization, with a feisty spirit in everything she did. She will be sorely missed.

Our most recent social at St. Michael's Lakehouse on April 19th was a huge success. A homecooked meal of pasta, meatballs, and sausage was served, along with an antipasto, salad, and a delicious assortment of 20 desserts homemade by our members. This social had the feel of our traditional Dolce Social in December.

I would like to update you on upcoming events at this time as follows: On May 1st, IACA was invited to represent our organization at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture's "We the People", an exhibit about immigration in Virginia. John Corritone, Carl Tarantino, and I took part in the event. Hundreds of home-schooled children attended that day. IACA provided small, Italian flags and heart-shaped stickers with the Italian flag colors of green, white, and red for the children who stopped by our table.

IACA will take our May 17th Social to the Tanglewood Ordinary Country Restaurant in Goochland County. The restaurant was very well received by members last year and should be again this year.

Happy Hours in May and June are scheduled for all IACA members to get together for fun and lively conversation. They will be held May 20th at the Wood and Iron Restaurant in Short Pump and June 17th at the Sedona Taphouse, Westchester Commons. Details are included in this newsletter. Upcoming in August will be IACA's annual Day at the Races on August 20th, located at Rosie’s at Colonial Downs.

Mark your calendars for the fabulous, fun-filled, annual Italian Festival in Blauvelt, New York sponsored by The Rockland Order of the Sons of Italy Lodge, scheduled for September 10th-14th. Last year, 15 of our members attended, along with Freddy C entertaining the audience. You don't want to miss this year's festival.

As you can see, plenty of things are happening at IACA. As always, we appreciate your support and I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

Best Regards,

Rick Gentile