VILLA CHARITIES ITALIAN CANADIAN
Immigrant Tribute Project
Blessing of the Villa Charities Italian Canadian Immigrant Tribute Installation
- Thursday, June 26, 10 – 11:30am
Celebrate Italian Heritage Month with us at the blessing of the Villa Charities Italian Canadian Immigrant Tribute, our heritage installation dedicated to Italian immigrants and their families. We are honoured to welcome His Eminence, Frank Cardinal Leo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, to the Columbus Centre for a ceremony to bless the Immigrant Tribute donor name plaques, commemorative sculpture, and surrounding space. Light refreshments will be served.
The ceremony will be held outdoors at the Tribute installation site. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery, in the Columbus Centre.
Deadline to purchase your plaque to be included on the installation for the blessing is Wednesday, June 4th.
Villa Charities Italian Canadian Immigrant Tribute
Installation Now Open
Wednesday, November 13, 2024, marked the official unveiling of the Villa Charities Italian Canadian Immigrant Tribute Installation, a stunning multi-faceted commemoration and public space that honours the Italian Canadian immigrant story.
With over 500 people in attendance, the unveiling event celebrated the public opening of the first phase of the installation at the Columbus Centre. Hosted by Mary Pompili, Villa Charities’ Vice President of Marketing and Communications, the event featured Tribute Project donors, Villa Charities executives and Board members, elected officials, representatives from Italian organizations, and members of the Italian Canadian community.
Speakers included Joseph Arcuri, Chair of the Villa Charities Board of Directors; Marco DeVuono, President and CEO of Villa Charities Inc.; Hon. Marco Mendicino, Anna Roberts, MP for King-Vaughan; Sheref Sabawy, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism; Kim Storey, Brown + Storey Architects; and Aldo Cundari, sculpture artist and Villa Charities Foundation Board Director. Edward and Christina Sorbara, Tribute Project donors, concluded the public remarks with a heartwarming account of their family’s ties to Villa Charities and their participation in the project.