 | |
| What
is OSIA? |
| The Order
Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) is the oldest and largest
national organization in the United States of Italian American men and
women.
Founded in 1905 to help the early Italian
immigrants, today, OSIA is the nation's leading Italian American service
and advocacy organization.
OSIA has grass roots network of more than 700
lodges or chapters coast-to-coast.
The
Sons of Italy Foundation (SIF) is the philanthropic arm of
OSIA. Since 1959, the SIF has given more than $85 million to
scholarships, medical research, disaster relief and other projects.
The
Commission of Social Justice (CSJ) is the
anti-defamation arm of OSIA. The CSJ is committed to fighting
racism, prejudice and the stereotyping of Italian Americans and people of
other cultures.
OSIA's
National Headquarters are on Capitol Hill in Washington,
D.C. |
|
What
does OSIA Do? |
| OSIA works at Community, State,
National and International levels to promote Italian Americans and their
culture. OSIA programs include:
Adopt-A-School
Italian Initiative: Establishes Italian language classes
in local schools.
Young
Ambassador Program: Helps Italian American students and young
professionals meet and network.
Scholarships:
Provide young Italian Americans with financial support to attend top
American colleges and universities.
Annual
Student Summit: Brings young people to the nation's
capital to learn about their heritage.
Study
Abroad Partnerships: Offer opportunities for students
and adults to study, live and work in Italy.
The
Sons of Italy National Book Club: Promotes fiction and
non-fiction works by and about Italian Americans.
Activist
E-Mail Network: Reaches thousands of Italian Americans
and others monthly with information on how to fight stereotyping.
The
Sons of Italy News Bureau: Informs the media about
Italian American issues, history and achievements.
Research
Institute: Produces reports, studies and statistics
about Italian Americans.
The
Garibaldi-Meucci Museum: OSIA owns and operates this
museum in the former home of inventor Antonio Meucci, who briefly hosted
the Italian reunification hero, Giuseppe Garibaldi. It is one of
only two ethnic museums in the U.S. with landmark status.
Archives:
OSIA supports historical records on OSIA and on Italian immigration
history through a grant to the University of Minnesota. |
|
What
Does OSIA Offer? |
| Membership in OSIA gives you:
Affiliation
with the nation's largest and most important Italian American
organization.
Opportunities
to meet and socialize with other Italian Americans in your community.
A
Free Subscription to Italian America, the most
widely read magazine in the nation for people of Italian heritage.
Discounts
on Italian products and specialty items, including Murano glass, art
posters, gifts and kitchenware.
Special
Rates on Italian instruction, genealogy research,
study-abroad programs, hotels, car rentals and other services.
Priority
Notice about OSIA scholarships, youth programs, reports
and events.
Tools
to fight stereotyping locally and nationally. |
|
Why
Join OSIA? |
| As a member of OSIA, you help us:
Promote
Italian language and culture in U.S. school and colleges.
Fight
stereotyping and defamation.
Educate
young Italian Americans.
Preserve
Columbus Day as a holiday.
Inform
the media about Italian Americans.
Lobby
for state and federal legislation affecting Italian Americans.
Raise
Funds for medical research, disaster relief and cultural
preservation projects. |
|
How
Do I Join OSIA? |
| OSIA offers five basic
memberships. All members receive a free subscription to
Italian America magazine, access to the OSIA "members-only" Web
site, and the discounts and services in the OSIA Benefit Package.
All memberships are renewed annually.
Lodge
Member: Men and women who can trace their Italian
lineage, and their spouses, are eligible to join a lodge, participate in
meetings and social events, vote and hold office.
Lodge
Social Member: Entitles individuals who are not of
Italian decent to join a lodge and participate in meetings and
events. They do not vote or hold office.
Young
Ambassador: Students and young professionals of Italian
descent organize OSIA Consulates at their colleges or in their communities
to help young Italian Americans meet each other. Young Ambassadors
receive all OSIA benefits, but do not vote or hold office in lodges.
At-Large
Member: People of all ages who cannot attend
meetings or do not live near a lodge can still join OSIA as At-Large
members. They receive all OSIA members benefits, but do not vote or
hold office.
Gift
Member: Anyone can give the gift of OSIA to family,
friends or even their local public or school library by making them lodge,
social or at-large members as described above. |
|
OSIA
Milestones |
| 1905: OSIA founded on June
22 in New York City.
1921: OSIA launches English and
citizenship classes for Italian immigrants.
1935: OSIA lodges reach coat-to-coast
1959: OSIA establishes Sons of Italy
Foundation.
1976: OSIA campaigns to make Columbus
Day a federal holiday.
1979: OSIA establishes the Commission
for Social Justice.
1981: OSIA sends $1.75 million to
earthquake victims in 97 Italian towns and cities.
1993: Joanne Strollo becomes first
woman elected OSIA national president. |
|
