NEWS Bollettino Highlights In Touch Calendar Winners

WELCOME TO SCOTTSDALE Set among the cacti and balmy dessert air, the Italian Catholic Federation welcomes you to its 73rd Annual Convention, hosted in the beautiful city of Scottsdale, Arizona. Members of the ICF during Labor Day weekend 2007, August 31 through September 3, will be found as predominately the only residents at the Chaparral Suites in Scottsdale. Although all spaces are filled at the Chaparral Suites, the rollover hotel, The Days Inn, as of press time, still had some spaces available. The Agenda for the Convention is listed on the back page of the Bollettino, but here are some of the highlights not to miss. After registering at the hotel and with the ICF, don't miss Al Bernardi's presentation on "Fresh Produce - Food, Fun and What to Look For" in the Paloma rooms from 3pm-5pm. The Opening Ceremony begins at 8pm with Mistress of Ceremonies, Nettie Descalso-Del Nero, guiding everyone through the night's festivities. Grand President Leonard Rossi will make the Grand President Award presentation to Rose Haupt. Then the parties begin. The Central Council Candidates will be hosting hospitality rooms from 9:30pm on. Food, drinks, and plenty of camaraderie and conversation will be flowing around the hotel. Saturday will be a busy day, beginning at 8:30am with the various workshops. Delegates and attendees have the choice of Heritage, Gifts of Love, Leadership, Spiritual, and Public Speaking workshops. Later in the morning is the Memorial mass in Italian and English, presided by Fr. Charles Fanelli, Archdiocesan Chaplain. The afternoon business session gets to the nuts-n-bolts of the Convention with the Central Council Candidate speeches, the discussion and voting of proposals, and the Central Council Officers' reports. One of the main highlights of the Convention is the Saturday night banquet. This year the evening will be honoring Pope John XXIII Award recipient John Lencioni. During the Business session on Sunday, beginning at 9am, the new Central Council will be elected. The results will be revealed later in the day. The Family of the Year award will be given to the Tallarida Family, and the Mother Teresa Away presentation will be made to Sister Patricia Davis, PBVM. Dr. Elliott Vichinsky, M.D. from Oakland Children's Hospital, and Laurice Levine, Outreach Coordinator at Children's Hospital will also be on hand to accept the National Charity donation. It is always interesting to hear both Dr. Vichinsky and Laurice speak of the enormous impact the donation makes in the lives of those at Children's Hospital with Cooley's Anemia. On Sunday evening, from 5:30-7:30pm there will be a complimentary evening reception in the Club House. This reception precedes the Sunday Night Dinner and Dancing. Monday, September 3 at 9am will be the prayer service and installation of new officers' ceremony. At this time Leonard Rossi will step down as the Grand President of the Italian Catholic Federation and his predecessor will be named and sworn in. The new Grand President will address those in attendance, and the Convention will be drawn to a close. If you don't make it to the Closing Ceremonies, don't worry, the speech made by the new Grand President will be printed in the October issue of the Bollettino. Enjoy your time in Scottsdale, and hopefully you will return home with a heightened sense of the value and importance each of you has in the future of the ICF! Don't Leave Your Bollettino At Home! You will be receiving your Bollettino in the mail before you leave for Convention (if you didn't please contact your postal carries) Please remember to bring it with you to the Convention as there WILL NOT be any copies available in Scottsdale. Italian Catholic Federation, 675 Hegenberger Road, Suite 230, Oakland CA 94621 tel: 888/ICF-1924; 510/633-9058; fax: 510/633-9758; Email: info@icf.org Website designed by HYPERSPHERE