The Blauvelt Sons of Italy Lodge 2176 awards scholarships at the end of each school year to students across the region who have excelled in a specific subject area and demonstrate a strong ability to continue on to a successful college career. On Saturday, June 13th the organization awarded 18 scholarships. 

“We are immensely proud of our Scholarship Awards program. We not only give out scholarships in June each year, we recognize students each month who study the Italian language. It is a program that keeps the Italian language alive and supports the brightest and most committed students in area high schools who will go on to four-year colleges and pursue their dreams,” stated Lodge President Jerry Verdicchio.

The scholarship committee is headed by Dr. John Guglielmucci, Richard Sica and Greg DeCola, all members of Lodge 2176.

The following awards were presented:

• John DeSimone Memorial Award for Excellence in Italian Language to William Grippi
• Charter Members’ Award for Academic Excellence to Nicole Chiapperino
• Fred Sica Memorial Award for Outstanding Future Business Leader to Carmine Buffa
• Joseph Sorce Memorial Achievement Award to Dominic Delponte & Brendan Bartoli
• Louis Crispo Memorial Award to Lily Kroenung
• Gennaro Gentile Memorial Award for Individualized Education Program Achievement to Devon Malora
• Joseph Scaringe Memorial Award for Athletic Dedication to Gianna Saccoccio & Tyler DiBlasi
• Rockland Lodge 2176 Sons of Italy Cultural Arts Award to Sophia Guglielmucci
• Rockland Lodge 2176 Sons of Italy Past Presidents Award for Community Service to Kayla Judge
• Academic Excellence Award to Thomas DiBlasio
• Academic Achievement Award to Anthony Pizzi & Trevor Coughlin
• Linda Viglietta Memorial Achievement Award to Gianna Buffa
• Charter Members Award for Academic Excellence to Troy Clement
• Student of the Year Awards in Italian Studies to John Pforte & Christian Sciarreta

The presentation took place at the Lodge location on Van Wyck Road in Blauvelt, NY and Lodge members as well as teachers, parents and family members of the winners were present as well as the Anthony Naccarato, State President of The Order Sons of Italy in America Grand Lodge of New York.

The Rockland Lodge 2176 of the Order of The Sons of Italy in America was established in 1966 with the goal of enhancing the image of people of Italian descent and has grown into one of the most active organizations in the region. In addition to providing scholarships to students, the Lodge runs the largest event in Rockland County – the Italian Feast and Carnival -- and a portion of the proceeds are donated to a variety of charitable organizations in and around the area. For more information visit http://rocklandlodge2176.com/ or visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/blauveltsons