Venice came to Toronto - Villa Charities

Villa Charities
VILLA CHARITIES INC.
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
PAST CHAIR
Dino Chiesa
CHAIR
Nick Torchetti
VICE CHAIR
Nina Perfetto
TREASURER
Mark Di Vito
SECRETARY
Aldo Cundari
GOVERNORS
Nick Ametrano
Paul Bottos
Rudolph P. Bratty
Ken Cancellara
Sam Ciccolini
Enzo Cuttini
Lisa Damiani
Lucia Favret
Mario Giampietri
Robert Martella
Edward Mancinelli
Nick Manocchio
Paul Mior
Brian Narine
Grace Palumbo-Eremita
Nick Sgro
Joseph Tanzola
Carla Tatangelo
Rina Tiberini
PRESIDENT & CEO
Pal Di Iulio
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Ugo Di Federico
Pub #40013194
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Villa Charities Newsletter
901 Lawrence Ave.W.
Toronto, Ont M6A 1C3
2 ❘ Villa Charities Newsletter
COMMUNITY CORNER:
Camarra’s – Fabulous at Fifty
Over a pizza at Camarra’s almost 40 years ago,
Pal Di Iulio (now President and CEO, Villa Charities
Inc.) and businessman Anthony Fusco discussed the
idea of a culturally sensitive home for Italian
Canadian seniors in the
neighbourhood. Out of
this and many other table
talks, Villa Colombo was
born shortly after, paving
the way for Villa
Charities’ growth and
expansion.
Now, almost 4
decades later, another
landmark at Dufferin and
Lawrence is celebrating a
milestone – Camarra’s
Pizzeria and Restaurant
celebrated its 50th anniversary on September 26,
2008, kicking off a year of activities.
“I feel truly blessed to be celebrating this
anniversary,” states Emilia Camarra Valentini, the
daughter of President Elisa Camarra Valentini. “The
years have been full of great experiences, but also
great sacrifice. Through it all, our strength lies in
part to our staff and our loyal customers, but most
of all, to my mother, who has been the backbone of
the business for thirty years.”
Camarra’s was founded in 1933 in Abruzzo,
Italy by Oreste and Domenica Camarra. Once their
children were grown, the family decided to move to
Toronto in March of 1958. In September of that
same year, at a time when Toronto had only one
other pizzeria, daughters Elisa and Domenica along
with their brother Livio, opened Camarra’s. Since
1969, the restaurant has been under Elisa’s direction
and it has been consistently listed as one of
Toronto’s best Italian restaurants.
In Memoriam
As we go to print, we are saddened by the news of the passing of
Elio Rosati at the age of 94. For over half a century, Mr. Rosati and his
family have selflessly supported the community and the Villa Charities
family of organizations.
“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I extend my sincere
condolences to Mrs. Rosati and the entire family,” states Nick Torchetti,
Chair, Villa Charities Inc. “The people served by Villa Charities are
living better lives because of the quiet dedication and passionate
commitment made by Elio and Jackie Rosati - Grazie.”
Fifty years later, they are still going strong.
After a blowout event on the official anniversary
date, the team at Camarra’s has planned an entire
year full of special events, themed evenings and
outdoor festas. A
portion of the proceeds
raised at these
anniversary celebrations
will be split among three
charities – Villa
Charities being one of
them.
“When it came time
to choose our charitable
partners for our
anniversary celebrations,
there was no question in
our minds that we
would approach Villa Charities,” states Emilia.
“Villa Charities and their Dufferin and Lawrence
campus has been part of our lives for over 30 years,
it’s part of the neighbourhood in which we live and
work - it’s a part of us.”
The work carried out by the Villa Charities
family of organizations, and the unique brand of
culturally sensitive care pioneered by the founders
all those years ago, is a great sense of pride for the
Camarra family.
“I truly believe that Villa Charities is the most
beautiful expression of our community,” explains
Emilia. “It’s extraordinary that the organization,
which began as an idea thought of by civic-minded
people, keeps going, continues to grow. It’s an
incredible gift for the city of Toronto, and beyond.”
For more information on the anniversary
celebrations, visit www.camarra.com.