By Jeremy Walsh
Ridgewood showed some of its true colors were red, white and green last Thursday as two prominent Italian−American groups joined forces with City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D−Middle Village) to raise $22,000 for victims of last month’s earthquake in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
The fund−raiser, held at the Ridgewood Senior Center, will help the residents of Abruzzo’s capital, L’Aquila, which was among the hardest hit by a 6.3−magnitude earthquake April 6. The town of 67,000 suffered nearly 300 dead, more than 1,000 injured and at least 50,000 displaced and homeless. It has approximately $16 million in damage to its infrastructure.
The assistance was a sort of reciprocation for an aid package L’Aquila’s residents put together for the city after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“When we were down, the people of L’Aquila raised $5,000 to help us,” Crowley said in a statement. “Now is the time to return that kindness.”
As Queens, which has the largest Abruzzisi population in the city, mobilized to provide relief after the quake, the Italian−American Federation of Greater New York and the Italian−American Federation of Brooklyn and Queens came together after years of operating separately.
“It’s a tribute to the generosity of the Italian and Italian−American people here that the two federations worked so well together to accomplish this goal,” said Mario Malerba, chairman of the Italian−American Federation of Brooklyn and Queens.
Those wishing to donate to relief efforts can also mail checks to the nonprofit Federation of Italian−American Organizations of Queens’ Italian Earthquake Relief Fund at 29−21 21st Ave. Astoria, NY 11105.
Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e−mail at jewalsh@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 154.
