Teresa Viola, lower left, and Vince Viola, right, both holding the solid gold Kentucky Derby Trophy at the 152nd Kentucky Derby.
To ISDA’s members and followers,
On behalf of the Italian American community, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to our Vice President John Viola, and his parents, Vincent and Teresa, on winning this year’s Kentucky Derby.
The Viola family’s horse, “Golden Tempo,” a 23-to-1 long shot, stunned the racing world by winning the Derby on Saturday afternoon.
This victory, coupled with the family’s two recent Stanley Cup Finals championships with the Florida Panthers, cements their place among America’s most successful forces in sports.
Watch the incredible photo finish below:
It’s especially meaningful to see the Viola family achieve such success, given their generosity and leadership within the Italian American community.
John has truly become one of the most prominent and influential Italian American figures in the nation. He serves as National Vice President of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), NYC District Vice President of ISDA, founder and host of the Italian American Podcast, and co-founder and Chair of the Italian American Future Leaders (IAFL) program.
Working with John has given me a firsthand appreciation of his passion for our heritage, and of all he does to preserve and promote it.
John’s parents, Vincent and Teresa, have been instrumental in the rise of the Italian American Future Leaders program, generously opening the Amerant Bank Arena in South Florida for IAFL events and providing VIP hospitality and thoughtfully curated event programming for participants.
The Viola family stands as a pillar of excellence in the Italian American community. They set an outstanding example for all of us to follow. We take pride in their accomplishments, and wish them continued success.
Sincerely,
ISDA National President
In 1930, immigrant families banded together to create the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), now one of the most prominent and financially successful Italian American organizations in the nation. In the last decade, we built a 730,000-strong social media community, grew our not-for-profit fraternal association, ISDA Financial Life, to nearly a half billion dollars in member assets, co-founded the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum (RBIAFF), and launched the fastest-growing Italian American publication (La Nostra Voce).
