Philanthropic Achievements
The Columbus Citizens Foundation’s primary philanthropic activity is awarding scholarships to deserving students of Italian heritage. During the 2010-2011 academic year, we are providing approximately $2 million of financial aid to over 500 students.
In addition to its scholarship activities, the Foundation has a tradition of raising funds for specific projects, often humanitarian in nature.
- Scholarships totaling approximately $2 million were awarded during the academic school year 2009-2010 to about 650 deserving Italian American students.
- The Foundation has pledged $500,000 to help reinstate The College Board’s Italian Language and Culture Advanced Placement program.
- The Foundation awarded over $2 million in scholarships to 800 deserving Italian American students during academic year 2008-2009.
- Scholarships totaling $2.4 million were awarded during academic year 2007–2008 to 850 deserving Italian American students.
- For the past eight years, the Foundation has funded approximately one hundred local Italian American students participating in the summer immersion program in Italian language conducted at Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- The Foundation created and funds the Franco Zefferelli Scholarship for the Arts, which provides funding for students of Italian culture.
- The Foundation donated $300,000 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund to honor the American servicemen and women who died in the Iraq War. The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund provides support to the spouses and dependent children of military personnel who lost their lives while serving their country.
- In memory of the people who died during the 9/11 terrorist attack, the Foundation pledged the proceeds of sponsorships and other fundraising activities during the 2001 Columbus Celebration, which totaled $1 million, to help complete the construction of the New Millennium High School in lower Manhattan. Located just blocks from Ground Zero, the school was created within an existing office building to help revitalize the area.
- The Foundation raised over $1 million in relief funds for victims of earthquakes in Italy and Turkey.
- Direct aid is provided by the Foundation to two educational institutions focused on Italian studies and culture: La Scuola d’Italia and the Montfort Academy.
- The Foundation held a Gold Star campaign to create a Marine Corps Scholarship Fund, which provided scholarships for the children of servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice during the first Gulf War. The fund provided over $1 million in college scholarships for the children of Marines who lost their lives.
In addition to its humanitarian efforts, the Foundation has raised money for projects determined by its Board of Governors. For the restoration and maintenance of the Columbus Monument, located at Columbus Circle in New York City, $400,000 was raised by the Foundation. Designed by Gaetano Russo in 1892 and unveiled on the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s historic voyage, the 13-foot tall marble statue of the navigator and the 26-foot tall granite column on which it stands had suffered nearly a century of neglect and the effects of pollution. The conserved monument was unveiled during the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s exploration. The restoration was carried out by New York City’s Adopt-A-Monument Program.
Two important adjuncts to the Foundation’s philanthropic activities are its Ladies Auxiliary Committee and its Young Adults Auxiliary.
The Ladies Auxiliary holds annual fundraisers. The majority of the funds underwrite scholarships, but the organization also makes donations to the numerous organizations throughout the United States. In 1986, the Ladies Auxiliary received the Presidential Recognition Award for Outstanding Community Service, the nation’s highest award for philanthropic endeavors.
The Young Adults Auxiliary, constituted by men and women who support the Foundation’s mission, holds annual Casino Nights and Wine Tastings that raise money for scholarships.