The Colombo Club has been on a steady course through the adversity, but 2022 seems to be going in the right direction. One thing is for certain, we don’t know what’s ahead. This has been our way for many years. The founders did not know what was going to happen after the big crash in 1929. The club was just 9 years old and I’m sure there was a sense of doom. Our founders stayed strong and survived. It would have been easy to say enough. Today we can look back and find strength from our history. I nostri Fondatori sono rimasti forti e sono sopravvissuti. Sarebbe stato facile dirlo basta, ma oggi possiamo guardare indietro e trovare forza dalla nostra storia. Covid has been a strain on all of us, but no harder than fighting in world wars. I stand proud to be part of an organization that works its way through a difficult situation and prospers in the end.

I had a great time at the Presidents’ meeting at the Fratellanza Club in January. Thank you Ron Blair, president of the IAF, for bringing us together. As each President spoke about their club, one theme was present, the desire to maintain representing our Italian heritage and building a strong foundation for our clubs to survive into the future. I am greatly enthused by the large numbers of new members that have joined the Colombo Club. Now is time for more of our members to get involved and set the stage for the next 100 years. We cannot take the Club for granted. So few members are making it work. It is harder and harder to make ends meet. We look for more members to be the wind behind our sails. Guardiamo ai giovani come il vento dietro le nostre vele, ma ci deve essere vento per noi per spingerci in avanti.

Coming in February we will be inducting 20 new members to the Colombo Club bringing our total new members since Covid to 85, thanks to the hard work of Rich Puppione. We have made every attempt to market the Club and excite people to join. A strong membership base is essential to survive. Survive we will.

Get ready this month for two birthday dinners. The first dinner on February 3 is a regular birthday dinner. The second dinner on February 10 is a member appreciation dinner (with guests allowed) where we will be bringing in some new members. The appreciation dinner is only $20 for members and a free beverage. Guests are $30 – a bargain in this new economy.

Crab, Crab, Crab, join us for the Colombo Club’s famous crab feeds. These events are so popular that we need three! Check the newsletter for all the info. The first crab feed in February helps fund our Club renovations. The two crab feeds in March will help fund our scholarship program. Make your reservation early as our capacity has shrunk a bit and they will sell out.

I am also happy to announce the annual golf tournament is back and looks like August 22nd at the Sequoyah Country Club. Sequoyah has been very good to the Club, so we decided to stick with them and have a great day of golf and food. We will send out a flier with all the info shortly. Because of Covid this event will have limited capacity, so early reservations are a good plan for this great annual event.

All being said, I want to thank everyone for hanging in there and supporting the Club. By just attending it allows you to be part of the fabric of the Club. I can only speak from experience engaging in the effort to put on these events and working at the Club for an hour or longer makes the Club experience that much better. Get involved and continue to make the Colombo Club the Best Italian Club in the World. It’s on us to make this a reality.

Partecipa e rendi il Colombo Club il miglior club italiano al mondo, sta a noi rendere questo una realtà.