Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 23 hours ago
On a cold February morning in 2011, Frank Lucchese and I — Larry App — carefully scanned nearly every photograph hanging on the walls of the Italian Club (IARA) on Harrison Street in Elkhart, Indiana.
These weren’t just old pictures. They were the faces of the Italian families who built a neighborhood, a culture, and a legacy that remains today.
In 2026, the Italian American Relief Association (IARA) celebrates its 100th anniversary. The club looks different now — fewer Italian families, a changed purpose — but it stands because of the people in those photographs.
This video honors some of the original members — the men and women whose lives helped shape Elkhart’s Italian community into a legacy.
On a cold February morning in 2011, Frank Lucchese and I — Larry App — carefully scanned nearly every photograph hanging on the walls of the Italian Club (IARA) on Harrison Street in Elkhart, Indiana.
These weren’t just old pictures. They were the faces of the Italian families who built a neighborhood, a culture, and a legacy that remains today.
In 2026, the Italian American Relief Association (IARA) celebrates its 100th anniversary. The club looks different now — fewer Italian families, a changed purpose — but it stands because of the people in those photographs.
This video honors some of the original members — the men and women whose lives helped shape Elkhart’s Italian community into a legacy.
