The Italian Welfare League is one New York’s oldest Italian charities.  Proudly, it  celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2010 where it all began on Ellis Island.

Babies born aboard ships arriving from Italy on their way to the United States during the 1920's, were greeted at the piers with a bassinet and enough clothes for a year. These items were distributed to the infants and incoming immigrants and were assisted at a desk on Ellis Island -  run by the Italian Welfare League. In nine decades, this charitable organization has gone from helping Italian immigrants on the New York City piers to assisting children of Italian descent who have medical problems or are suffering from emotional trauma.  These youngsters are affectionately called, “I Nostri Bambini”, ”  and have been adopted  into the League’s family of caring members and supporters.

Since the year 2001, the League has raised and donated over $700,000 to its growing family of Bambini.  In addition to individual cases, grants have been made to:

Helping Hands Behavioral Outreach (Old Bethpage, NY) Assn. for Children with Down Syndrome (Plainview, NY) Children’s Skin Disease Foundation (Walnut Creek, CA) Cooley’s Anemia (NY, NY) Rocking Horse Rehabilitation (W.Orange, NJ) Adult and children with Learning & Developmental Disabilities (Bay Shore, NY) Special Strides Disabilities-Kramer Center (Monroe Township, NJ) Alpine Learning Center  (Paramus, NJ) Dancing Dreams (Bay Shore, NY) Angela’s House (Hauppauge, NY) Shooting Stars Gymnastics (Wycott, NJ)

These are small steps in a big world.  The League cares about these “Bambini” and hopes you do too and are willing to support its mission.