(WASHINGTON, DC - October 1, 2002)    The John R. Mott
Scholarship Foundation, Inc. of Albany, New York awarded $ 40,400 to
students from the area around Serra D'Aiello, in the region of Calabria,
Italy. The scholarship awards ranged between $1,500 and $10,000.  The
National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) works in conjunction with
the John R. Mott Scholarship Foundation to identify students to receive
these awards.

    Student selection was based on academic achievement, financial
need and community service.  The awards are targeted to pay for
university tuition and educational expenses.

    Born in Serra D' Aiello, John Mott immigrated to the U.S. with
his family from Italy, and successfully built a trucking company from
the ground up.  Prior to his death on October 12, 1998, at the age of
89, Mr. Mott created the John R. Mott Foundation, Inc. a private
scholarship fund of over $3 million.   The Foundation is run by a seven
member Board, and the scholarship program is administered through the
NIAF.

    "John Mott was a visionary, and he had a dream of making his
homeland - a very distressed area in southern Italy - better through the
thing that he valued most, education," stated Board President Louis
Pierro of Albany.   "Although Mr. Mott is gone, his dream lives on in
the young people of Calabria who are now able to attend college and
become educated, and who in turn have pledged to give back to their own
communities upon graduation."

    High school seniors, undergraduates, graduate, doctorate, and
post doctorate students from the area surrounding Serra D' Aiello, in
Calabria, Italy, are encouraged to apply for next year's awards.

    For more information on this scholarship and the NIAF
scholarship and education program, go to
www.niaf.org/scholarships/mott.html

The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit
organization based in Washington, DC and dedicated to preserving the
heritage of an estimated 25 million Americans of Italian descent, the
nation's fifth largest ethnic group.  The NIAF funds scholarships,
internships, conferences, and other programs, and promotes closer
cultural and economic ties with Italy.     

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Elissa Ruffino 
             at               
202/387-0600 
            or
elissa@niaf.org