Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans

Our Mission and History Founded in 1952, the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA) is dedicated to its heritage and promoting the Italian American community. The JCCIA serves as a congress for 60+ Chicagoland Italian American organizations, representing the community on a local, state, national and international level. Dedicated to its heritage and promoting the Italian American community, one of the JCCIA’s main goals is to assist young Italian Americans through education. The JCCIA gives away numerous scholarships to promote the advancement of students. In addition, the organization leads fundraising efforts to worthy causes and spearheads volunteer efforts. The JCCIA hosts the Annual Dante and DiFrisco Awards Luncheon. Since 1971 the JCCIA has annually presented the coveted Dante Award. In 2020, the JCCIA marked the celebration of the remarkable life of one of our most valued leaders, and the founder of the Dante Awards, with the first annual Dominic DiFrisco Lifetime Achievement Award. Other well known JCCIA events are the Chicago Columbus Day Parade and the Columbus Day Queen Pageant. The JCCIA has two divisions: a Women’s Division and the Avanti Group