The contributions of Brooklyn’s Italian American community were in the forefront on April 7 as the Federation of Italian-American Organizations (FIAO) celebrated its 42^nd anniversary gala at El Caribe with community leaders attending to salute this year’s honorees.

Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of New York Building Congress and FIAO chair, welcomed guests to the fundraising gala. “From its early group of volunteers working out of a storefront to today’s staff of 457 and teams of volunteers working in two dozen after-school programs and in our new state-of-the-art, 44,000-square-foot Community Cultural Center, the FIAO has been a leader in creating a wide range of free programs and services that have helped the quality of lives for generations of families, youth and seniors,” said Scissura.