Pittsburgh Italian Scholarship Fund and Basil Russo "Man of the Year"

The Italian Radio Hour

This week on The Italian Radio Hour - The Pittsburgh Italian Scholarship Fund was established 40 years ago with the mission of assisting academically qualified local high school graduates of Italian ancestry with their college education. Additionally, they honor a local Pittsburgh professional of Italian descent who has demonstrated meritorious distinction in his or her profession. And this year’s recipients will be Mr. and Mrs. Basil and Pat Russo. Tune in to enjoy our conversation with the President of the PISF, a scholarship recipient as well, the upcoming Golf Classic and Scholarship Award Dinner on Tuesday August 13th at the Valley Brook Country Club, honoring the 2024 Husband and Wife of the Year, Mr. & Mrs. Basil and Pat Russo. Cav. Basil M. Russo has served as national president of both the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), and its affiliate, ISDA Financial Life, since 2014. As ISDA president he developed the largest Italian American social media platform in the country, which currently has more than 725,000 followers. He also created the organization’s outstanding monthly newspaper, La Nostra Voce, and he has established many new lodges and districts nationwide, while increasing the organization’s membership by more than 20%. As the ISDA Financial Life president, he directed the growth of the organization’s insurance, IRA, and annuity company from $60 million in assets to over $391 million in assets, making it the largest Italian American fraternal insurance company in America. Additionally, in 2017, Basil, his wife Patricia (Gallupoli) and their children created the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum, which provides grants to aspiring filmmakers who depict the Italian American experience in a positive way. To date, 48 films have been awarded $400,000 in grants with several of the films being aired and acclaimed in prominent film festivals throughout the U.S. and Italy.

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