Sons and Daughters of Italy Gala 2020

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy, Garibaldi Lodge will hold our 34th Annual Gala Dinner on Saturday, March 14, 2020 in the York Ballroom of the RBC Convention Centre -- and what an amazing evening it will be!

Presented by RBC, this acclaimed event will demonstrate the philanthropic spirit of Sons and Daughters of Italy, but also the caring and giving that Winnipegers, their businesses and leaders are known for.

Our 2020 Gala will be in support of Clan Mothers Healing Village.

SOI Gala 2020 is presented by:

Gala Links

Our Featured Entertainer: Frank Spadone, Comedian

We are excited to bring to our 2020 Gala, the comedy of Frank Spadone! Frank talks about his upbringing in an Italian household in his acts, performing from LA to New York and across Canada.

Frank showed his comedic side early in life, imitating people and doing various accents. The first real test came when Frank was to imitate his high school principal at a pep rally in front of the whole school. Would he get a laugh? Would he get suspended? Talk about pressure! As it turned out, everybody loved it, including the principal.

He draws large crowds and his fans travel far and wide just to see him. His ability to leverage his audience has benefited and helped many, including Frank’s soft spot, children.

Frank credits his natural ability to two people: his maternal grandmother, Mama Teresa, who was quite the joker and extremely quick-witted, and his paternal grandfather, Papa Cheech, who was known for his storytelling ability.

Frank Spadone on stage (1 min video, adult content)

Our 2020 Charity: Clan Mothers Healing Village

The 34th Annual Gala is in support of Clan Mothers Healing Village, a group of facilities that will provide mid-term to long-term support to women who have been victims of multi-generational trauma, sexual violence, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking as they begin their healing journey.

Clan Mothers will create an Indigenous model of healing and education focused on the restoration of our communities based on the matrilineal values and principles of their original self-governance systems.

Clan Mothers is committed to the creation of a contemporary, sustainable Healing Village governed by a distinctive Indigenous council (see aerial layout).

The heart and spirit of the Village is the resurgence of Indigenous methodologies and world views to heal the most important beings in communities across Canada, the mothers and daughters of the next generation.

Clan Mothers Objectives: 

To provide a safe and nurturing land-based healing environment for sexually exploited women and girls.
To develop collaborative, innovative social enterprises that will sustain educate train and prepare our women for a healthy future.
To have a knowledge centre that will facilitate the offering of programs through partnership

For more information on Clan Mothers Healing Village, please visit clanmothers.ca

Funds donated by the Sons and Daughters of Italy are allocated specifically to the Clan Mothers Healing Village Building Fund, to aid in the building of the Clan Mothers Healing Village.

Honourary Chairs

Elder Mae Louise Campbell

Kristie Pearson-Pollard

Carmine Zirino

Heart of the Lion Lifetime Achievement Award

The Sons and Daughters of Italy "Heart of the Lion" Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has tirelessly given of themselves and has made significant contributions to the community. The "Heart of the Lion" Lifetime Achievement Award is a special honour bestowed by the Sons and Daughters of Italy, Garibaldi Lodge.

At this year's Gala, Gerardo "Gerry" Lomonaco will receive the Sons and Daughters of Italy "Heart of the Lion" Lifetime Achievement Award! Please join us in congratulating Gerry on this prestigious award, to be given at our 2020 Gala.

Outstanding Italian Meal

Of course, as Italians, we are known for great food, and this event will showcase our cuisine.

The menu has not been finalized, but we can tell you what we had last year:

Antipasto and Italian salad,
vegetarian lasagne,
beef tenderloin with garlic rosemary mashed potatoes with asparagus and red peppers,
cappuccino ice cream torte,
coffee/tea and of course,
premium wines.

And if you worked up a further appetite on the dance floor, there was an espresso and pastry bar in the lobby.

We Raffle for Cash

No jewelry or steak knives in our fundraising raffle -- we give away cash! The first prize on our raffle is $10,000 of cold hard cash (okay, it is actually a cheque)!!

Second prize is $5,000 cash prize.

Join With Us!

The 34th Annual Sons of Italy Gala is again presented by our title sponsor RBC. Kim Ulmer and her team at RBC have been tremendous supporters of our Gala for a long time. As Title Sponsor, they have for many years shown their commitment to Sons and Daughters of Italy, our Gala and to the wonderful charities we have supported.

We need your help too! It is through the participation of our valued sponsors that we raise the money that we use to support this year's Charity of Choice. We have a full range of options for your participation in what will be a very memorable 2020 Gala.

Please check out our full list of last year's sponsors, and support them too, as they have supported us.

Order Sons and Daughters of Italy, Garibaldi Lodge