Club News

A Message From Our President

Dear Members and Friends, at the last General Membership Meeting that was held on Sunday, January 27th, fifty-eight (58) Members were in attendance.

At the January meeting, the following members Rose Borg, Mary Anne Fassler, Barbara Fenech, Bart Borg and Charlie Catania, who had accepted to be members of the Grievance Committee, were unanimously approved by the members present. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for your service to our Club.

The members also ratified, by acclamation, the members of the Board of Directors, the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Auditors. The members of the Board of Directors are President: Brian Ciappara, Vice-President: Joe DeBattista, Secretary: Mary Vella Gomes, Assistant Secretary: Carmen Micallef, Treasurer: Joe Vella, Assistant Treasurer: Ninfa Pace, and Parliamentarian: Mary Borg Smith. George Borg is Sergeant-at-Arms and Mona Nicholas and Louis Vella are the Auditors.

The flagpole that has been donated by Charlie Catania is now at the Club and preparations for it to be installed are being made.

The Club will be celebrating its 90th Anniversary in conjunction with the Malta Day celebration the same way as we did in 2014 which was the 85th Anniversary. We are in the process of forming a special committee that will organize this celebration. I encourage the Maltese Community and everyone else to help and make this celebration a memorable one. If interested, please let any member of the Board know that you are willing to join. Meetings will be starting soon. Thank you.

On Saturday, March 16th, everyone at the Club will become Irish! So please, put on your green shirt or blouse, your green pants or skirt, your green jacket, tie or hat and come! You can also dye your hair green! Bring your family and friends and join us for the popular St. Patrick's Day Dinner Dance. A flier with additional information can also be found in this newsletter. Please send your reservations in early and abide by the deadline.

Saħħa,
Brian

Message from the Honorary Consul General of Malta, Louis Vella

Hon Consul Vella greeted everyone and commented on the very nice group in attendance on a Sunday morning. HC Vella added a few comments on Mr. Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana who is preparing a possible run for president of the US in 2020. Mr. Buttigieg was mentioned in several other meetings in the past. HC Vella shared that several months previous he interviewed Mr. Joseph Buttigieg, father of Pete, who is a professor at Notre Dame University in Indiana. On that same Sunday of the Maltese Club’s general membership meeting, in the evening we received the sad news that Mr. Joseph Buttigieg father of Mayor Pete Buttigieg, passed away following an illness. We take this opportunity to send our heartfelt condolences to the Buttigieg immediate and extended families in the US and in Malta & Gozo.

HC Vella continued by sharing that in January one of the most common things people do is to make resolutions. And one of the most popular is that of losing weight. The Mediterranean diet is by far one of the leading diets people follow. As Maltese descendants, we have Mediterranean genes and part of the dietary practices of our ancestors was that of consuming more natural food and less of the processed kind as well as eating in moderation and drinking water. As Maltese we even tend to live longer than average lives.

Next HC Vella talked about the trip to Malta he is coordinating with the Millbrae Sister Cities Commission. The trip is coming along very well and on Tuesday January 29th the group will have another meeting to go over the details of the trip and the interesting and fun places the group will be visiting while in Malta.

Lastly HC Vella shared some additional information about the Maltese Musical Stage Play that he is coordinating with the Embassy of Malta. The play is scheduled for the evening of Friday, March 29th. Several local high school auditoriums are being considered. The Musical play is called “The Star of Strait Street” It is based on true events that took place during World War II in one of the most well-known streets in Valletta, Malta – Strait Street or as it is most commonly known, Strada Stretta. Please mark your calendars not to miss this rare opportunity.

Grazzi Ħafna

Always remember that, it is not what we take but what we give that make us rich.