Vote on AMHS Joining Founders of Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center

By Ray LaVerghetta, AMHS President

On January 27, at our first general meeting of 2019, the AMHS members in attendance will vote on whether to approve an important step by the society to become a member of the Casa Italiana Sociocultural Center (CISC) Founders Fund.

The AMHS Executive Committee (EC) approved the initiative in December of last year, following a positive recommendation from the subcommittee appointed to study the issue. The CISC is beginning a new phase in its history with the renovation of its facilities and the expansion of its programs. The EC believes that it is important to join the supporters of the ongoing and future operations at CISC, which has been “home” to us since the beginning of our organization in 2000.

The improvements at CISC will benefit the Italian and Italian-American communities at large in the Washington, D.C. area, and we of course are part of those communities. Founders of the CISC make a donation of $5,000, which can be spread over a period of three years. The EC believes that such a donation, though larger than the contributions that the Society has occasionally made to worthy causes in the past, is a way of paying back CISC for its past hospitality, of helping it carry out its new projects, and of cementing our relationship as we both move forward in the coming years.

It is a significant moment in time for the CISC and the AMHS stands ready to support it. Accordingly, we recommend and encourage your vote of approval on the 27th. Voting will be done by secret ballot. Members of the EC are available to address any questions you may have prior to the vote.