It was in the fall of 1970 that Joseph Menna of Trenton and Salvatore DiPasquale of Wyandotte visualized the formation of the
Italian club encompassing all of the downriver communities. In a very few days they had contacted and set up a meeting with
fourteen enthusiastic persons in the basement of Angelo DiToro’s home in Trenton, all of whom were ready to undertake the task
of forming a Downriver Italian Club. On February 28, 1971, with 43 members in the fold, a second meeting was held in the conference
room of the Trenton State Bank. A slate of officers were elected. On April 28, 1971, the chartered birth of the Downriver
Italian-American Club was celebrated.
Today we hail a seventeen-member Board of Directors and social, civic, and entertainment committees. The approximate 500+ person
membership made up of husbands, wives, and single persons from all of the Downriver Communities promote and conduct many social
and civic functions. We feel very proud to have shared our ethnic culture, traditions, dances, food, and wines with the community.
Through the efforts and hard work of our members, we were proud owners of the Downriver Italian-American Club Hall in Wyandotte, which was sold in 2015. Numerous activities have occurred which have helped the Club grow since 1971. Our latest growth has been the expansion of our Club and renovation of the
Hall to better meet the needs of the current and future membership. An inexhaustible number of volunteer hours were contributed by the
membership since the inception of the Club Renovation. The commitment of the volunteer members is to be commended. We feel very proud
to have shared our ethnic culture, traditions, dances, food and wines with the community.
The Downriver Italian-American Club • P.O. Box 1797 • Southgate, MI 48195
