Italian American Women of Iowa (IAWI) celebrated La Festa della Donna Day with a gentle reminder that heritage is still important. The ladies of Italian American Women of Iowa (IAWI) hosted La Festa della Donna Day on Saturday March 5th from 12:00pm-2:00pm at A.H. Blank Golf Course. The celebration consisted of a luncheon designed around Italian fare, including the famous mimosa cake.

Attendees heard from three generations of Italian American speakers stating what it means to be an Italian American Woman and what they wanted for our future generations. Speakers Nancy Danca, Nicole Graziano and Autumn Ogle-Riccilli also spoke about their family history and love of Italian heritage. In addition, the attendees were able to celebrate the first recipients of the IAWI scholarships. Recipients were Jada Gruhn and Ella Astor, who both received a $500 scholarship for Fall 2022.

IAWI encouraged all attendees to wear the color yellow to celebrate the holiday in style! An art viewing was displayed during the event by Olson-Larsen Galleries for resident and artist Amy Worthen, who lives between Des Moines Iowa and Venice Italy. Amy is known for her printmaking, engraving and curating. Her engravings are often architectural and have been found at the Smithsonian American Art Museum,Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; the Van Every Smith Galleries at Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina.

About Italian American Women of Iowa

The Italian American Women of Iowa (IAWI) was established in 2016, sharing traditions and heritage with the next generation of ladies. The social club is made up of ladies from ages 21-102. In addition, IAWI gives back 90% of the money raised back to the community and every other month the ladies make themselves present in partaking in helping the community. We are proud to welcome these outstanding leaders in the community

To view IAWI, visit: https://italianamericanwomenofiowa.com