Geraldine Ferraro to Be Honored by Sons of Italy Foundation

WASHINGTON, May 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) will honor Geraldine Ferraro during its 19th annual gala in Washington, DC on May 24. She will be introduced by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The SIF is the philanthropic arm of the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the nation's oldest and largest national organization for people of Italian heritage. To date, the SIF has contributed nearly $96 million to medical research, disaster relief, and scholarships. The Gala proceeds help fund these philanthropic programs.

EVENT: The Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) National Education & Leadership Awards (NELA) Gala DATE: Thursday, May 24 from 7 PM to 10:30 PM PLACE: Grand Hyatt Hotel at 1000 H Street, NW HONOREES: Nicholas Donofrio, Executive Vice President of Innovation & Technology International Business Machines (IBM) Corp.; 2007 SIF National Education & Leadership Award Geraldine Ferraro, Former U.S. Congresswoman; 2007 SIF Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service Frank Giordano, President, Union League of Philadelphia; 2007 SIF Humanitarian Award The Rienzi Foundation, which helps the deaf regain hearing

CONFIRMED GUESTS: Madeleine Albright; Sen. Joe Biden; Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton; Ambassador Giovanni Castellaneta (Italy); Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro; AIDS researcher Anthony Fauci; Patricia deStacy Harrison (Corp. Public Broadcasting); former Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly; Congressman Nick Lampson; Sen. Mary Landrieu; Congressman Bill Pascrell; Michael Petruzzello (Qorvis); Bill Kelley (US News & World Report); Pat Russo (Alcatel-Lucent); Aileen Sirey (Nat'l Org. Italian American Women); Bruno Sammartino (champion wrestler); John Sweeney (AFL-CIO); Fran Visco (Nat'l Breast Cancer Coalition), among others.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: -- Master of Ceremonies, actor Joe Mantegna -- Special Performance by Miss Virginia, Adrianna Sgarlata

Tickets are $500 each. For tickets, contact 202/547-2900 or email [email protected]  

Source: Sons of Italy Foundation