Membership

Membership Form

Cost (as of Jan-2024):

Initiation Fee: $45 one time charge

January to June: $75 Single/$140 per Couple

July to September: $37.50 Single/$70 per Couple

October to December: $18.75 Single/$35 per Couple

Membership in the Antonio Meucci Lodge #213 is local membership in The Order Sons of Italy (OSIA) in America, the oldest and largest national organization in the United States of Italian American men and women.  With its national headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., OSIA also inlcudes various affiliated organizations: 

1) The Sons of Italy Foundation® (SIF) is a private, philanthropic institution established by OSIA in 1959. To date, the SIF has given nearly $117 Million to scholarships, medical research, cultural preservation, disaster relief, and other causes. 

2) The Commission for Social Justice® (CSJ) is the anti-defamation arm of OSIA.  The CSJ is committed to fighting racism, prejudice, and the stereotyping of all races, religions and cultures, especially Italians and Italian Americans. 

3) The SIF owns the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in Staten Island, N.Y.  The museum is housed in the historic home of inventor Antonio Meucci and chronicles his life as well as that of his one-time house guest, Italian unifier Giuseppe Garibaldi. 

OSIA has many programs and works at the community, state, national and international levels to promote Italian Americans and their culture. To find out more about their specific programs, visit the national OSIA website at www.osia.org. 

In addition to participating in OSIA programs at the local level, Antonio Meucci Lodge members have the added benefits of being able to rent our beautiful lodge facilities for themselves and their immediate families, and can apply for our scholarships 

on behalf of their children or grandchildren.

OSIA offers five basic memberships that are renewed annually. 

1. Lodge Member: Men and women who can trace their Italian lineage, and their spouses, are eligible to join a lodge, participate in meetings and social events, vote and hold office. 

2. Lodge Social Member: Entitles individuals who are not of Italian decent to join a lodge and participate in meetings and events.   They do not vote or hold office. 

3. Young Ambassador: Students and young professionals of Italian descent organize OSIA Consulates at their colleges or in their communities to help young Italian Americans meet each other.   Young Ambassadors receive all OSIA benefits, but do not vote or hold office in lodges. 

4. At-Large Member: People of all ages who cannot attend meetings or do not live near a lodge can still join OSIA as At-Large members.  They receive all OSIA members benefits, but do not vote or hold office. 

5. Gift Member: Anyone can give the gift of OSIA to family, friends or even their local public or school library by making them lodge, social or at-large members as described above. 

All members receive a free subscription to Italian America Magazine, access to the OSIA "members-only" Web site, and the discounts and services in the OSIA Benefit Package.  To view this list, visit the OSIA Benefits and Discounts page as this list is constantly being updated.

WHY BECOME A MEMBER?

As a Member, you help us: 

Promote Italian language and culture in U.S. school and colleges. 

Fight stereotyping and defamation. 

Educate young Italian Americans. 

Preserve Columbus Day as a holiday. 

Inform the media about Italian Americans. 

Lobby for state and federal legislation affecting Italian Americans.

WHAT DOES OSIA OFFER?

Membership in OSIA gives you: 

Affiliation with the nation's largest and most important Italian American organization. 

Opportunities to meet and socialize with other Italian Americans in your community. 

A free subscription to Italian America, the most widely read magazine in the nation for people of Italian heritage. 

Discounts on Italian products and specialty items, including Murano glass, art posters, gifts and kitchenware. 

Special rates on Italian instruction, genealogy research, study-abroad programs, hotels, car rentals and other services. 

Priority notice about OSIA scholarships, youth programs, reports and events. 

Tools to fight stereotyping locally and nationally. 

We encourage you to come to any of our events or general meetings to see what we're all about.   We meet at 8:00 PM on the Fourth Tuesday of every month.  Everyone is welcome!  When you're ready to join us, download and return your Membership Application.  If you have any questions, please contact our Membership Officers.

OSIA MILESTONES

1905 - OSIA founded on June 22 in New York City. 

1921 - OSIA launches English and citizenship classes for Italian immigrants. 

1935 - OSIA lodges reach coat-to-coast 

1959 - OSIA establishes Sons of Italy Foundation. 

1976 - OSIA campaigns to make Columbus Day a federal holiday. 

1979 - OSIA establishes the Commission for Social Justice. 

1981 - OSIA sends $1.75 million to earthquake victims in 97 Italian towns and cities. 

1993 - Joanne Strollo becomes first woman elected OSIA national president.