The fifth annual DaVinci Society Scholarship Dinner will be held on Thursday, Sept. 25 at the Staten Island Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South Ave., Bloomfield. Wine and antipasto will be served at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $125.
The dinner kicks off the DaVinci Society’s celebration of “Viva Italia: Italian Heritage Month,” highlighting the influence of Italian culture on American society. “Viva Italia” programs this year will include lectures, concerts, a film screening and a wine tasting, all to be hosted on the Grymes Hill campus of Wagner College.
The chairman of the DaVinci Society is the Hon. Ralph J. Lamberti, and Wagner College President Richard Guarasci is honorary co-chairman. Elenor T. Conforti is chairwoman of the annual DaVinci Society Scholarship Dinner.
For more information or tickets, contact Betty McComiskey at (718) 420-4014 or by e-mail at emccomis@wagner.edu.
DaVinci-funded programs
The DaVinci Society of Wagner College was established eight years ago to promote greater understanding of Italy and the contributions of Italian Americans to America’s vibrant democratic culture.
Three years ago, the DaVinci Society — in partnership with the Columbus Citizens Foundation and Wagner College — established the “Adopt-a-Scholar” scholarship. Each year, the partnership awards a four-year, $60,000 Wagner College scholarship to a Staten Island student of Italian heritage who has demonstrated academic excellence and financial need.
The DaVinci Society has also donated $30,000 toward the placement of a full-time Italian-language professor at Wagner College. Colclough Sanders is a visiting professor of Italian for a second year at the college.
Six Islanders to be honored
Six Staten Islanders noted for their community service will be honored by the DaVinci Society at its Sept. 25 gala. The honorees include:
Dr. John A. D'Anna, medical administrator — After earning his M.D. from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in public health from Columbia, John D’Anna began practicing medicine on Staten Island in 1983. He served as a medical and administrative leader on the Staten Island University Hospital staff for many years before being named chief medical officer for St. Peter’s Healthcare System in New Brunswick, N.J. earlier this year. A member for 20 years of the New York State Board for Professional Medical Conduct and a past president of the Richmond County Medical Society, D’Anna has served on the boards of the American Cancer Society, the Staten Island Heart Society, and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center.
Dr. Guido Di Benedetto, renowned family physician (retired) — Born in Manhattan, raised in Sicily, he earned his doctorate in medicine from the University of Palermo before returning to the United States in 1960. Dr. Di Benedetto served as a command surgeon with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, helping found a 120-bed children’s hospital in Hoa Khauh. In 1997, Dr. Di Benedetto was named Family Physician of the Year by the New York State Academy of Family Physicians.
Jack Furnari, marketing consultant and entertainer — Born on Staten Island, raised in Mariners Harbor and Westerleigh, graduated Curtis High School, Pace College. For 37 years, Furnari worked in marketing for the Staten Island Advance. He is a past president of the South Shore Rotary and has served on the board of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Historic Richmondtown, the Lynn Steinman Foundation and the Staten Island Symphony. After retiring in 2006, Furnari volunteered with the Richmond County Savings Foundation, marketing the “Lions & Tigers & Bears, SI” project in 2007. He is currently a marketing consultant for the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation’s business magazine, Opportunity Staten Island.
Dr. Carolyn Raia, attending radiologist at Staten Island University Hospital — Carolyn Raia was born in Brooklyn, the daughter of an auto body repairman and a stay-at-home mom. She worked as a sorter in the diamond trade for six or seven years after graduating high school before deciding to go to college and become a doctor. After graduating summa cum laude from Brooklyn College, she earned her M.D. from SUNY Downstate Medical School, where she met her husband, Dr. Douglas DeCorato. The couple moved to Staten Island in 1989. From 2001 to 2007, Dr. Raia served as co-chair of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. She has served on the advisory board of the American Cancer Society’s Staten Island Chapter since 2002, and since 2003 on the Staten Island Academy Board of Trustees. In 2003, Dr. Raia was named a Woman of Distinction by Soroptimist International.
A Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Carl E. Tavolacci, Esq., attorney and community leader. Among Tavolacci’s many achievements, he is:
- Past president of the Loggia Perseveranza of the Sons of Italy;
- Founder, former commander of the Bath Beach (Brooklyn) American Legion Post #1772;
- Founder, former president of Bensonhurst/Bay Ridge (Brooklyn) Kiwanis Club;
- First president of the Bay Ridge (Brooklyn) Democratic Club, and
- Founder of the Ben Bay Kiwanis Foundation Inc., a tax-exempt public charity.
The Renaissance Award will be given to Elaine Bloomfield, community leader and co-chairwoman of Wagner College’s Chai Society. Among her many community responsibilities, Bloomfield was a founding trustee of the Staten Island Children’s Museum. She has also served as president and chairwoman of the board of the Staten Island Jewish Community Center.
