The ICC Committees are the backbone of the Italian Community Center.  They draw people to the Center.  They provide interesting things to do.  They manage the money.  They propose and enforce necessary rules.  They make sure our Community Center runs smoothly. 

The success and enjoyment of the Italian Community Center hinges on the hard work and wonderful spirit of those who participate on these Committees.

AVANTI COMMITTEE

We are devoted to pursuing a sense of community and to spending time at our beautiful community center with other people our age.  We encourage young people to support and enjoy the ICC.

MEMBERS:

Rachel Travia, Chair

Sam Alioto

Giovannina Ray

Mason Mueller

Nickolas Mueller

Alex Pawlak

BYLAWS COMMITTEE

Current Bylaws

Every corporation has to act according to its bylaws.  The bylaws are a set of rules that govern how the entity is to be run.  The bylaws provide guidance to the Board of Directors and can help when operational questions arise.  The Bylaw Committee is responsible for all issues and questions related to these rules.  One of the most important things that the Bylaw Committee does is the actual creation of bylaws.  This Committee creates everything that relates to the operation of the Center, from the election of officers to how much power committees have.  They then have to present the bylaws to the general membership so they can be voted on and approved.

This Committee is responsible for making sure that all rules in the bylaws are being followed. This overseeing usually comes in the form of an operational question which is raised in a Board of Directors or General Membership meeting. A member of the Committee should attend all meetings to answer any questions that come up. Also, the Committee is present to give guidance to the Board of Directors to ensure that any new business is conducted according to the bylaws and all votes that take place are done in accordance with the voting regulations that have been established. As the Center grows and changes, there may be a need for the bylaws to be expanded and changed. Periodically, the Bylaws Committee gets together to review the existing bylaws to ensure changes do not need to be made. Also, the Board of Directors or a member may wish to amend the bylaws in some way, a task that is assigned to the Bylaws Committee. When that happens, the Committee meets to discuss the proposed changes, make sure they do not go against the laws of the state and then figure out how to incorporate them into the existing bylaw framework. Once the bylaws have been changed, the Committee is then tasked with presenting them to the membership once again for an approval vote.

MEMBERS:

Elizabeth Ceraso, Chair (liz.ceraso@gmail.com)

CULTURE COMMITTEE

Purpose:

To promote Italian culture in the community through the celebration of the arts, education, and cultural awareness.

Goals:  

To present cultural events both at the Italian Community Center and in the community.

1.         Holiday Folk Fair

2.         Student Culture Day

3.         Festa Italiana Cultural Exhibit

4.         Italian Heritage Month

5.         Curio Cabinet Display

6.         Museums, Schools, and Other Related Events/Locations

Other Cultural Events planned by the ICC:

1.          Carnevale

2.         La Befana Children’s Holiday Celebration

Examples of our Participation at Cultural Events Outside of the ICC:

Events such as Holiday Folk Fair – setting up Italian displays, speaking on Italian culture, making Italian foods such as pasta and pizza.  We displayed foods related to Italian culture, directly linked to the theme of Holiday Folk Fair.  This year’s display centered around bread, where we displayed beautiful breads made by Sciortino’s Bakery on Brady Street in Milwaukee.

Other Examples of our Involvement in the Community:

Setting up an Italian Christmas Display at the Franklin Library on Dec. 12, 2010.  In the past we have set up displays also at the Milwaukee Public Museum and at the Governor’s Mansion as well.  We have been in schools, senior centers and even a girls’ prison to give demonstrations on making pasta and pizzelle (Italian waffle cookies), folk dancing, and speaking on Italian history and Italian Americans in the area.  We host an annual Student Culture Day at the ICC, which invites students from across Milwaukee to experience what is like to be an Italian immigrant coming to Ellis Island, offering the children pasta demonstrations, bocce ball lessons, language lessons, historical lessons, and a fabulous Italian pasta and meatball meal in the ballroom.

If you are interested in joining our committee, we meet once a month on the first Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.  Benvenuti!

MEMBERS:

Susie Christiansen, Chair (smdc-icc@outlook.com)

Sophia Michalovitz

Christine Conley

Gina Jorgensen

FINANCE COMMITTEE

MEMBERS:

Lisa DeSanctis, Chair

Sandy Winard

Marie Lieber

Rose Anne Ceraso Fritchie

Mike Palmisano

Gina Spang

Tindaro Caputo

FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

Purpose: To seek funding and grants, and find creative ways to raise the money necessary to run a successful community center.

MEMBERS:

LONG-RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE

MEMBERS:

Gina Spang, Chair

Vivian Balistreri

Chris Conley

Lisa DeSanctis

Gary Lisiace

Adrian Zilveti

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

This Committee meets the first Thursday of each month - the Committee plans events and activities to create the best possible experience for our Members, and works very hard to maintain and increase Membership.

MEMBERS:

Maria Megna-Scarano, Chair

Tracy Balistreri

John Alioto

Bill Stocks

Jessica Stocks

Brenda Carr

Christine Conley

Sophia Michalovitz

Ted Catalano

Theresa Herman

Enzo Scarano

Sarah Kissinger-Carini

PUBLICity COMMITTEE

The Publicity Committee shall utilize all available Social Media platforms, the ICC website, email blasts, etc. to present a consistent branding presence for the Italian Community Center.

MEMBERS:

Tracy Balistreri, Chair (ICCGetSocial@gmail.com)

Lena Stephenson

Joe Fendrick

Carly Perez

NEWSPAPER COMMITTEE

The Italian Times is published 11 times annually by the Italian Community Center of Milwaukee.

The primary purposes of the publications are:

1. To serve as a source of information for the Italian Community Center and the community at large.

2. To present news about Italian Community Center activities and members and about Festa Italiana.

3. To promote and promulgate an awareness and appreciation of the contributions of Italians and Italian Americans, past and present, and their contributions to improving and enriching mankind.

The Newspaper Committee is comprised of up to three to seven individuals (at the discretion of the President of the Italian Community Center) with a working knowledge of the ICC’s goals and objectives.

At least one of the members of the Newspaper Committee should be proficient in the Italian language.  If none of the committee members are so proficient, the committee may appoint someone with that knowledge to act in an advisory capacity.

The duties of the Newspaper Committee are:

To maintain and, on occasion, review the policies and procedures of The Italian Times.

1. When needs dictate, change the policies and procedures of The Italian Times with all such changes subject to approval of the Italian Community Center Board.

2. Direct breaches of the policies and procedures to the President of the Italian Community Center.

3. Review and approve the content of The Italian Times prior to publication

MEMBERS:

Marie Lieber, Chair (VP@ICCMilwaukee.com)

Susie Christiansen

Tracy Balistreri