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POST PROGRESS
YOUNGSTOWN
Battling back from lagging membership and management struggles, the Youngstown Italian-American War Veterans organization is looking to revitalize its post and its image.
The bar has been replaced, and in about eight months the lounge will be completely renovated, said commander Patrick Fusillo, who was elected three weeks ago and has been a member for about a year. The post is at 115 S. Meridian Road.
“Our intention is to replace the acoustic tiles and make it as nice as possible,” Fusillo said. “We have a thin budget, so we’re going to do projects as the funds come.”
ITAM members claim the post suffered management problems — it owes thousands in back taxes — and placed less emphasis on helping veterans.
“We have a lot of problems that we didn’t create, but we’re looking to resolve them,” Fusillo said.
The post has added another spaghetti dinner to its monthly schedule to help raise funds, he said.
The dinners are served on the first and third Sundays with longtime caterer Vito Dipinto — and his homemade spaghetti sauce — returning to the kitchen, after leaving the group last year.
ITAM is looking to bring back festivals, bucket auctions, parade appearances and card parties, said Jean Mavrikis, who is part of the Ladies Auxiliary.
Weekly bingo games are expected to return to the post in about eight months.
Another hurdle for ITAM is a drop in membership, a problem facing many veterans organizations.
The post has about 175 members. At one time, it boasted more than 700 members, said Dominic Butch, a former commander.
Butch has been a member of the ITAM post the longest of any other, joining it in 1952.
“I think the veterans from WWI and WWII really got it going,” said Laverne Soriano, whose parents were charter members in 1941. “Veterans now aren’t as interested.”
Although the group’s name includes “Italian-American,” the club is open to any honorably discharged veteran, regardless of race or ethnicity, Fusillo said.
Family members of veterans also can join, said Joanne Malys, president of the Ladies Auxiliary.
“I think the family connections are the most important thing,” Malys said.
Fusillo added that ITAM is making office space available for other veterans groups that might not have a current location or have too few members for an entire building.
“Our goal is to keep our post strong and get back to the mission cause of helping veterans in need,” Fusillo said.
The first department of the Italian-American War Veterans was formed in Connecticut in 1931. The Youngstown post was chartered in 1941. The post’s current location on Meridian Road was built in 1974, on land that had been donated by the late local businessman Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.