Piazza Nuova Lodge #2665, OSDIA - Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner Meeting

On Thursday evening May 1, 2018, over one-hundred lodge members, families and friends of the Piazza Nuova Lodge enjoyed a fun evening during its Annual Scholarships Awards Night when graduating students from area high schools along with Bucks County Community College (BCCC) students were honored in recognition of their outstanding academic achievements. Dinner for the evening was catered by Café Antonio, Morrisville, PA. Funding for the scholarships was provided by the PNL C&E Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization; the philanthropic arm of the Piazza Nuova Lodge.

Earlier in the year the Lodge submitted scholarship applications to area high school counselors and members of Lodge children and grandchildren advising that it was sponsoring scholarships for the year 2018 for high school seniors graduating in June that would attend college in the autumn. Among other academic criteria factors considered, the PNL 2018 scholarship applicants were asked to write a 500 to 700-word essay as a requirement for participation in the program. Piazza Nuova Lodge Scholarship Chairman Joseph Ridgway presented the honorees with certificates for outstanding academic achievement, and a total of $10,000 in scholarships awards.

During the evenings ceremonies ten high school scholarship honorees were awarded checks and certificates namely; Lilah Rose Bojanoski Central Bucks South, Victoria Caruso Pope John XXXIII Regional, Sean Collins Pennsbury, Angela DiNunzio Paul VI, Nicholas Franco Delsea Regional, Gianna Gross Plymouth Whitemarsh, Nicole Guarino J. L. Mann, Rachel Pellegrino Nazareth Academy, Christian Pirri Conwell Egan, and Maria Riley, Villa Victoria Academy.

In addition, three BCCC students were presented with certificates of recognition; Jaclyn Stein was the recipient of the Alfred M. Ciccotelli, Senior Memoriam Endowment for Culinary Arts, Jacqueline Renk for Italian Language, and Clarice Joy Manglicmot for the Enrico Fermi Science Scholarships. These BCCC students received financial scholarship awards from the college based on three endowments that have been previously established at the college by the lodge.

The Piazza Nuova Lodge is a nonprofit filial Lodge of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. The Lodge promotes fraternity amongst members and extends that fraternity to the community at large. We work to the preserve the rich cultural heritage left to us by our ancestors.

We conduct fundraisers to help and support many charities that we donate to on a national, state, and local community level. For further information and membership information contact: Joseph Marino, President, Piazza Nuova Lodge.

Photo 1: From left to right, Foundation President John Oliano, with Piazza Nuova Lodge Student Honorees Rachel Pellegrino, Victoria Caruso, Gianna Gross, Scholarship Chairman Joseph Ridgway, Student Honorees Angela DiNunzio, Christian Pirri, Maria Riley, Sean Collins, Lilah Rose Bojanoski, and Nicholas Franco. Absent from the photo was student Nicole Guarino.

Photo 2: From left to right, BCCC student Jaclyn Stein, John Oliano and BCCC student Jacqueline Renk. Absent from this photo was Clarice Joy Manglicmot.