Orange County News

Orange County Celebrates Italian Language and Culture

Italian and American families gather together every Saturday for a celebration of Italian language and culture at the Fondazione Italia Center of Orange County located in the city of Irvine.

The Center, organized by Paolo and Ana Miliozzi in 2004, started out with a "Parent and Me" Italian class for toddlers and has since grown to include Italian for preschoolers, elementary-age children and adults, becoming one of the largest programs of its kind in California. Paolo currently serves as Fondazione Italia president.

"Experts agree that from birth to age ten, children can learn several languages with ease," he says. "By offering classes for children and adults at the same time and location, we're creating a wonderful learning opportunity for the entire family."

To bring Italian traditions to life for its students, the Fondazione Italia Center of Orange County holds cultural get-togethers on a monthly basis. The holiday season saw the arrival of "Babbo Natale", who welcomed students with panettone and traditional Italian treats.

Guest of honor at the holiday event was former Fondazione Italia Director Frank De Santis, who presented the organization with several teaching grants from the Renaissance Foundation and the American Society of Italian Legions of Merit.

Fondazione Italia, a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1998 for the purpose of promoting the study of the Italian language and culture.

The organization receives grants from the government of Italy through the Italian Consulate General of Los Angeles, and it is governed by a volunteer Board whose members have backgrounds in education, engineering, philanthropy, law and business.

Every donation to Fondazione Italia is tax-deductible and it helps support our ambitious goal of bringing the Italian language to local schools and communities. For more information about Fondazione Italia's programs, please visit www.fondazione-italia.org or contact program director Maria Romana Cassi at (310) 691-8909 . Classes begin February 24 for the spring session.

From February 24 to June 16, 2007, classes meet on Saturday mornings, kids and adults, in Irvine, offered by Fondazione Italia. For registration information call 310/691-8909 , or visit www.fondazione-italia.org.

Frank DeSantis
and Paolo Miliozzi


	Orange County Celebrates Italian Language and Culture Italian and American families gather together every Saturday for a celebration of Italian language and culture at the Fondazione Italia Center of Orange County located in the city of Irvine. The Center, organized by Paolo and Ana Miliozzi in 2004, started out with a "Parent and Me" Italian class for toddlers and has since grown to include Italian for preschoolers, elementary-age children and adults, becoming one of the largest programs of its kind in California. Paolo currently serves as Fondazione Italia president. "Experts agree that from birth to age ten, children can learn several languages with ease," he says. "By offering classes for children and adults at the same time and location, we're creating a wonderful learning opportunity for the entire family." To bring Italian traditions to life for its students, the Fondazione Italia Center of Orange County holds cultural get-togethers on a monthly basis. The holiday season saw the arrival of "Babbo Natale", who welcomed students with panettone and traditional Italian treats. Guest of honor at the holiday event was former Fondazione Italia Director Frank De Santis, who presented the organization with several teaching grants from the Renaissance Foundation and the American Society of Italian Legions of Merit. Fondazione Italia, a California 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1998 for the purpose of promoting the study of the Italian language and culture. The organization receives grants from the government of Italy through the Italian Consulate General of Los Angeles, and it is governed by a volunteer Board whose members have backgrounds in education, engineering, philanthropy, law and business. Every donation to Fondazione Italia is tax-deductible and it helps support our ambitious goal of bringing the Italian language to local schools and communities. For more information about Fondazione Italia's programs, please visit www.fondazione-italia.org or contact program director Maria Romana Cassi at (310) 691-8909 . Classes begin February 24 for the spring session. From February 24 to June 16, 2007, classes meet on Saturday mornings, kids and adults, in Irvine, offered by Fondazione Italia. For registration information call 310/691-8909 , or visit www.fondazione-italia.org. Frank DeSantis and Paolo Miliozzi
___________________________________________________________________________________ 10631 Vinedale Street, Sun Valley, CA 91352 - Phone (818) 767-3413 - Fax: (818) 767-1410