Volunteers deliver best holiday gift ever!

We put out the word and they turned out in droves. In what can only be described as a holiday miracle, nearly three dozen volunteers and benefactors pitched in to pack and move the Italian American Veterans Museum from Dec. 26-28

The distance travelled was negligible — from the top floor of the Office Center to a building across the grounds — but the effort was truly herculean.

More than 100 carefully packed boxes, scores of tables and chairs, and dozens of odd-sized items, some of them weighing more than 300 pounds, made the short journey via a steady stream of bright red carts pulled by willing-and-able workers.

Several of the volunteers were also deployed to box and move Fra Noi’s archives and help the Casa consolidate its operations in the Cultural Center. The moves became necessary when the village of Stone Park purchased the 17-acre property from the Missionaries of St. Charles.

We’d like to offer a special thanks to the following standout supporters:

• Dean Dalaly, who helped plan the move, pave the way for the packers, and made sure everything toggled perfectly into place in storage.
• Jose Aguinaga, who was with Dean every step of the way.
• Eric Pulia, who rallied a dozen-and-a-half volunteers on Friday and Saturday.
• IAVM board member Sam Tinaglia, who swelled the ranks of volunteers by four.
• Fellow board member Steve Corbo and volunteers Jacques Jentel and Eddie Ferguson, who handled special packing projects from start to finish on both days.
• Fellow board member Lorenzo Fiorentino, who rallied a crew to move the bookshelves and display cases.
• High school students Maksym Lupa and Francesco Bifero, who contributed two days of community service hours to the cause.
• Casa staffers Darrell Marchioretto and Nancy Cometa, who pitched in wherever, whenever throughout the process.
• Ron Lemar of Rex Carton, who donated stacks of sturdy boxes.
• Melrose Park Mayor Ron Serpico, who sent Public Works Director Gary Marine with more than a dozen pallets to elevate our holdings.

Rounding out the cavalcade of heroes are Matthew Aldinger, Jocelyn Aldinger, Joe Ariano, Mike Ariano, D.J. Biagioli, Rich Biagioli, Mike Biondo, John Biondo, Adam Buckley Joe Canciari, Pete DiCianni, Joe D’Addosio, Joe Giagnorio, Carmine and Linda Grisolia, Oscar Gutierrez, Anthony Kozi, Chris Lee, Aldo Libreri, Pier Luca Libreri, Vito Palazzolo, Jim Pulia, Sam Pulia, Luz Milagros Ramos, and Jenna Tinaglia.

We’re so very grateful to all of you for the holiday miracle you made happen. With our holdings safe and secure, we can continue our search for our new home. We hope to have great news for you in the near future. In the meantime, please accept our best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.