NIAF LEADERSHIP TRAVELS TO ROME AND L’AQUILA TO MEET WITH OFFICIALS

WASHINGTON , DC – NIAF President Joseph V. Del Raso, Esq. and the Foundation’s secretary John F. Calvelli will travel to Rome and L’Aquila in Italy to meet with prominent officials of the Italian government and the United States Embassy to discuss allocation of funds collected for the Abruzzo relief efforts. In the town of L’Aquila , NIAF will announce a student scholarship program for undergraduates from the University of L’Aquila to continue their academic studies in the U.S.
Del Raso and Calvelli will arrive on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, and meet with Chargé d’affaires Elizabeth Dibble and her staff at the U.S. Embassy in Rome to determine the best use of funds for the region. The NIAF mission will also include meetings with Antonio Manganelli, director of national police, and an evening briefing on the current situation in L’Aquila and the region of Abruzzo.
On Wednesday, April 29, a U.S. Embassy cultural officer along with Del Raso and Calvelli will travel to L’Aquila to meet with local government officials including Chief of Protezione Civile Guido Bertolaso, Minister of the Interior Roberto Maroni and Ambassador Sergio Vento. At the site, NIAF will announce a partnership between the University of Miami in Florida , Sierra Nevada College in Nevada and Villanova University in Pennsylvania . The universities will offer full academic scholarships to the displaced students at the University of L’Aquila .
Undersecretary Gianni Letta and Minister of Culture Sandro Bondi will meet with Del Raso and Calvelli at Palazzo Chigi on Thursday, April 30, 2009.
Immediately following the news of the earthquake, NIAF established a special NIAF/Abruzzo Relief Fund to help the victims and their families who perished from the earthquake in the town of L’Aquila and other small towns in central Italy ’s region of Abruzzo.
Individuals, corporations and foundations who wish to donate to the NIAF/Abruzzo Relief Fund can make their donations online at www.niaf.org/relief. All donations are tax deductible. Every dollar contributed will go directly to the victims. For more information about NIAF’s efforts in L’Aquila and its neighboring towns, visit www.niaf.org/relief .