The Solon Italian Club held its fourth annual Pasta Dinner fundraiser for the Solon Senior Center (SSC) on Oct. 23 as more than 150 attendees enjoyed delicious homemade sauce and pasta, salad, bread and dessert.
The Italian club members started early making the 460 meatballs it took to feed the dinner guests according to Italian club member Ron Lanci who heads up the club’s cooking crew of 14.
The club members arrived at 2 p.m. on the day of the dinner to start cooking the pounds and pounds of pasta. And then, as has become a tradition, they dished out the pasta and sides to the diners in two service lines laughing and joking with the senior center members who they now call friends.
According to Mike DiCarro, a member of the Solon Italian Club Foundation, which sponsored the event, the fundraiser is something club members look forward to every October.
“It’s an honor for us to host this dinner to raise funds for the senior center,” he said. “We know how much it means to our community.”
Last year, the club donated $7,500 to the SSC which was used for programming at the center. This year Mr. DiCarro and the rest of the club members hoped to up that figure.
The club donates every penny from the dinner tickets and from a prize raffle as well as proceeds from a 50-50 raffle. There is also an anonymous donor who adds to the fundraising total.
Senior Services Director Jill Frankel said the senior center is extremely grateful to the Solon Italian Club for their support.
“I’m thrilled to report that in total, the Solon Italian Club Foundation’s Pasta Dinner raised $8,000, which is an increase from last year,” said Ms. Frankel. “Funds raised help us keep activity costs affordable, ensuring that seniors can continue to enjoy the social, educational, and fitness activities that support their health and well-being. With the cost of living on the rise, older adults have fewer resources for social opportunities, making community programs like ours more important than ever.”
Over at the raffle table, senior center staff member Sara Mulcahey was selling raffle tickets by the handful. There were 33 prizes, all donated by local businesses. Top prizes included a family membership to the Solon Recreation Center, sports and theater ticket packages, and gift cards for everything from oil changes to dinner and a movie.
Joyce McFarland, a senior center member, said she hoped to continue her raffle prize winning streak. “I think I have won something almost every year,” she said with a smile. “I bought 33 raffle tickets this year.”
Senior center member William Tecil said that he has attended every pasta dinner since the Italian club started holding them to benefit the senior center. “It made me get up and get dressed today,” he said with a laugh. “I really enjoy these pasta dinners. I wouldn’t have missed it.”
Dining and Cooking