(Washington, DC-September 7, 2001)     United States Senator Rick
Santorum of Pennsylvania will chair the National Italian American Foundation
(NIAF) 26th Anniversary Gala Awards Dinner, Saturday, October 20 in
Washington, DC.  He will appear before an expected audience of more than
3,100 prominent Italian Americans in business, the arts, entertainment, and
government from throughout the U.S.
    The 2001 NIAF Gala honorees are: actor Nicolas Cage, who will be the
first inductee into the NIAF's new "Hall of Fame" for his work in the
cinema; Domenico De Sole, president and CEO of Gucci Group NV; and Roger
Enrico, vice chairman, PepsiCo, Inc.
    A special NIAF award will be presented to actor Christopher Reeve
and Dana Morosini Reeve for their outstanding work in raising funding for
spinal cord injury research. 
    The awards will be conferred at the Washington Hilton Hotel during a
Gala Awards Dinner that caps the NIAF's annual two-day convention (October
19-20),  the largest formal gathering of Italian Americans in the country.
    Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System, will brief leading Italian American business executives at a
luncheon on Capitol Hill, Friday, October 19.  The luncheon will be followed
by a White House briefing. 
    The NIAF convention will also feature conferences, exhibits, the
traditional celebrity luncheon and auction, a seminar on tourism in Italy
and a wine and olive oil tasting by Bolla Wines and Colavita, USA.  Dinner
tickets begin at $350 per person.  Proceeds from the event will benefit the
NIAF Scholarship, Education Programs and "Gardens of Hope," an inner-city
food program to benefit the homeless and those in shelters.  For tickets or
sponsor information, contact Jerry Jones at 202/939-3102 or jerry@niaf.org.

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization
based in Washington, DC and dedicated to preserving the heritage of Italian
Americans.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       Contact: Elissa Ruffino at 202/387-0600