Columbus Citizens Foundation is proud to announce that Vivian Cardia is an Honoree of this year’s Columbus Celebration and will join Grand Marshal Michael T. Strianese to help lead this year’s Parade. Vivian Cardia is a philanthropist and former President of Vivicar LLC. Born, raised, and educated in New York, she earned her BA in Italian from Fordham University.

She was one of the first Italian American female members and traders of the American Stock Exchange, trading options from 1982 to 1988. Following the crash of 1987, she joined her family's business, the Greenwich Village restaurant "Beatrice Inn". After the death of her parents, Vivian established Vivicar LLC, now closed, to manage the restaurant and other properties, continuing her parents' legacy. 

Vivian holds the title of Dama di Gran Croce from the American Foundation of Savoy Orders and serves as its Floridian Delegate. Additionally, she serves on the Board of the Ligurians in the World in New York, the American Society of the Italian Legions of Merit. From the Italian Government she received the title of Cavaliere Della Repubblica.

Currently, she serves on the Board of Trustees of John Cabot University in Rome, where CCF supports students through the Honorable Frank Guarini Scholarship Program. Vivian is a board member of the Da Ponte Italian Library, which translates Italian classics into English.

“We are honored to recognize Vivian for her contributions and achievements, which exemplify her dedication to philanthropy and the Italian American community,” stated Columbus Citizens Foundation President Christopher Loiacono.

Commented Vivian Cardia, “I was a High School student marching in the best parade in New York and never dreamed that I could be an honoree. It still seems like a dream.”

The annual Columbus Day Parade, the largest celebration of Italian American heritage and culture in the United States will take place on Monday, October 14, 2024, beginning at 11:30 a.m. and will include marching bands, floats, and over 100 marching groups up the Fifth Avenue parade route, from 44th Street to 72nd Street. Groups, institutions, and partners from across the United States and Italy will take part in this year’s celebration. The parade will be broadcast on ABC-7 from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.