The President's Annual Message

At the end of 2008 we close out our first full calendar year as an organization.  Since our first meeting less than 18 months ago, we literally traveled to Craco and back, visited our ancestors' old neighborhoods in New York, gained new friends, reconnected with old family, and uncovered parts of lost history along the way. We can all be proud of our astounding progress.

Our Strategic Plan outlines four major activities for the Society: expanding the organization's reach to more Crachesi, developing quality events for members, maintaining ongoing communications, and preserving Crachese history. Our accomplishments this year met each of these objectives.   

We began 2008 with the support of 153 members and as our story spread, almost as many individuals joined our mission to preserve the history, traditions, and culture of Craco giving us a total of 273 members now.  Much of this growth stems from the success we enjoyed in organizing memorable events that entertain, inform, and educate us about our roots. 

This was illustrated by our group trip last June.  Participants not only visited Craco Vecchio, but while engaging with residents discovered unknown connections.  The kindness, warmth, and hospitality of both the Comune di Craco and the people in Peschiera made a deep impression on us.  Besides making us feel we were "at home" they showered us with gifts of historical records and works of art.  The group also visited other locations in the area and gained recognition by APT Basilcata, the Italian regional tourist organization, with a grant.  With this success and a continuing interest by members to return to Italy we are coordinating an early-May 2009 trip that will expand on our past visit. 

The August Reunion was the highlight of the year.  Twice as many people participated in it as did in our initial meeting in 2007.  This large "village" of "paesani" fully engaged in the event but they enjoyed hands-on feelings of the Lower New York neighborhood that housed Crachesi immigrants when they first arrived.  Although the changes in the area were significant, the Society events provided exposure to how the early immigrants lived.  Comments about the food experience were not only phenomenal but were in "abbondanza!"  The high point was the presentation of a historic statue of San Vincenzo Martire, the patron saint of Craco.  This seemed to trigger other occurrences that still continue to uncover more of our history.  After being sought out by individuals with pieces of Cracotan memorabilia,  we also were directed to others who held keys to long lost information and artifacts.

While planning for the last event of the year, to celebrate the feast of San Vincenzo, contacts provided the Society with additional gifts of the 1900 banner from the Societá San Vincenzo Martire di Craco along with copies of publications and photographs dating back to the early 20th century.  Culminating at the October 26th Mass for San Vincenzo was the discovery of an unknown relic of the saint that may date back to 1769; somehow making its way from Craco to New York, yet its existence  was unknown to anyone alive today.

Throughout the year the Society website led our communications program.  The team managing the site continuously expands the content with monthly updates.  A new Internet channel was opened in late August by adding a Craco Society Facebook location which now has 57 participants.  In September the monthly updates were reformatted into a more structured and informative Newsletter.  We also translate publications into Italian with a number of members needing access in the native language, and also learning that the town of Craco was distributing our material.  To meet this unexpected need we engaged a qualified individual. The repeated and extremely positive feedback about all of these programs lets me know we are on the right track.

Although dues continue to be the primary source supporting our operations, the scope of the Society requires additional funding.  These additional requirements were met in 2008 primarily by savings from sales taxes at events and grant funds.  We have been diligent in trying to control costs and setting aside funds for the future.  Financially, we are in a secure position to continue our mission as we enter what can be anticipated as a difficult year for everyone. 

We are fortunate to have talented and dedicated individuals involved in our Society and without the selfless efforts of these volunteers we would have achieved little.  It is important to recognize some unique contributions.  Bob & Janet Rubertone's untold hours maintaining the website continue to produce extraordinary results that continuously garner praise for the Society.  Lena Camperlengo developed fantastic events and created our other internet communication channels.   Tom Rinaldi, Linda Lee Davis, a non-member, and Helen Tuzio are assisting in the translation of the last chapters of Craco's history that we hope to publish in English next year.  Our Advisory Members continued to provide us with good counsel and were instrumental in spreading the word about the Society.  And finally, on behalf of all of us I again thank the Niceforo and Gallo families for the gifts that are irreplaceable pieces of our history; we are the beneficiaries of their thoughtfulness.

Looking back, the events, accomplishments, and discoveries by your Society in 2008 were beyond my imagination just a few months ago, but that they happened, was due entirely to your participation during this wonderful year, and for that I thank you. With many opportunities and challenges before us, your help and support is always valued.  In closing, please accept my best wishes for you and your family in 2009.

Warmest regards,

Joseph Rinaldi

President

The Craco Society (Inc.)