What's New

The Italian Welfare League is pleased to report, in the fiscal year that just ended, $120,226 was donated to children of Italian descent who are ill or otherwise suffering emotional trauma. That brings the number of total contributions since 2001 to $400,000 among 200 children. Like the “Little Engine That Could,” we are climbing up the charitable mountain, one small child at a time!

Providing momentum in disbursing these funds among children within the Italian American population are organizations and agencies that have received Special Needs Grants from The League. Since 2008, when the Special Needs Fund was established, 19 grants have been made.

Meanwhile, individual cases of children worthy of assistance, are continually brought to The League’s attention, mostly through news reports, referrals from physical therapists and social workers, and by word-of-mouth.

One such case is a family whose father was a victim of a hit and run accident with left him disabled.  During the course of the following sixteen years and afte 25 subsequent surgeries on his leg, the doctors finally advised him that amputating it would give him a better quality of life.  In 2001, he elected to take his doctor's advice and was fitted with a prosthesis.  Two years ago, while working as a Heating/Air Conditioning technician, he was electrocuted and died.  He left a wife and four children.

Download current press release (PDF) here.
Contact: Teddie Legeard
(212) 861-8480