Joseph Romeo honored for civic involvement

Joseph Romeo was recently honored with the Distinguished Service Award for his work in the Franklin Square community.

The Associazione Culturale Italiana di New York, a nonprofit Italian American organization that works to keep the Italian culture alive and well within various communities in the state, bestowed him with the award on Sept. 10 at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach, Queens.

Romeo was given the annual award for his involvement in the community and for representing its Italian heritage, through volunteerism and giving back to others in Franklin Square.

The Associazione Culturale Italiana di New York also organizes events that revolve around Italian American traditions.

“The whole purpose of me is always giving back,” Romeo said upon receiving his award. “Always be a hand that reaches out, be a smile for those who have no reason to smile, the likes of those who live in darkness, and success has nothing to do with what you gain or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”

Romeo, a broker at John Savoreti Realty in Franklin Square and co-president of the Morton Civic Association, is on the board of directors of the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce.

In addition, Romeo is a coach for the Franklin Square Raiders Soccer Club and the Franklin Square Little League. The Morton Civic Association is a non-profit organization that has been around since 1951 in the Franklin Square and West Hempstead communities. Romeo’s responsibilities in the civic association include negotiations of annual oil contracts for members through Petro, community reinvestment, and building relationships with local businesses.

Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Dellipizzi praised Romeo for his accomplishments.

“He juggles a lot of things,” Dellipizzi said. “He’s a good board member of the chamber and he always gets involved.”

Romeo was born to two local Italian immigrants, who settled in New Hyde Park. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in business administration and was also awarded a certificate for excellence in marketing. As soon as he moved to Franklin Square 11 years ago, at the age of 27, he got involved with the Morton Civic Association. A co-president of the civic association for 11 years, Romeo said he wants to get more people involved in the group.

“A lot of the people that keep organizations like the Morton civic together are older, and I feel like there’s a little bit of a generational gap where we’re losing ties,” Romeo said. “We need more volunteering, we need more giving back and we need to keep these going.”

Domenico Ciaccio, a co-president of the civic association along with Romeo, spoke about why he earned the award.

“If you know Joe, you know that he goes above and beyond for anyone and everyone in his life and the communities he serves,” Ciaccio said. “I have the pleasure of serving as a co-president with him in the Morton civic and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s a good guy all around. He has two little boys, and he takes time away from his family to ensure that the Morton civic can organize events. He makes sure that the community is always represented with events and good gestures.”

Romeo said he thinks the Morton Civic Association could become more technologically savvy in a way that will not only help collect dues but also draw new members.

“A lot of people who come to Morton civic events aren’t all Morton civic members,” he said. “It’s a community, and we represent about 786 homes.”

The civic group has more to look forward to this year, planning to bring back the annual Christmas tree lighting on Dec. 10.