Mario Gabelli Donates Additional $100,000 for This Year's Scholarships!
In February, Mario Gabelli contacted our Union to ask how the union's scholarship program was doing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and he was given the bad news: With so many members out of work, contributions to the scholarship fund had dwindled to a trickle. In response, Mr. Gabelli donated an additional $100,000 for this year's awards. Combined with the $85,000 he had already contributed to the scholarship fund for this year, Gabelli's latest donation means that a normal number of scholarships will be awarded in 2021. It should also be noted that Mr. Gabelli has already contributed $85,000 for the 2022 scholarships. To date, he has contributed a total of $451,000 to HTC's scholarship fund!
"This news is beyond fantastic," HTC President Rich Maroko said. "Even with the $85,000 Mr. Gabelli had already contributed to the scholarship fund for 2021, we were not expecting to be able to distribute the normal number of scholarships. His extraordinary generosity has saved the day. Because of Mr. Gabelli's kindness, there will be 15 additional scholarships to award this year."
Mario Gabelli's father, Joseph Gabelli, was a charter member of Local 6 and the Hotel Trades Council. Joseph Gabelli worked in the kitchens of historic hotels like the Savoy Plaza and the Hotel Astor. Mr. Gabelli has expressed understanding and support for the Union's stance on immigrants, noting in the past that his mother emigrated to the U.S. from Italy.
In 2019, HTC showed its appreciation to Mario Gabelli by bestowing on him honorary membership in our Union. The ceremony was held at a Local 6 Delegate Assembly meeting where Gabelli was greeted with a standing ovation. In accepting the honor from President Maroko, Mr. Gabelli spoke about a history he had with unions. Besides his father's membership in our union, Mr. Gabelli's grandfather was a miner who was killed in an explosion. He is only the fourth person in the 82-year history of our Union to receive honorary membership.
"The support Mario Gabelli has provided to the HTC scholarship fund is so uplifting," President Maroko added. "His contributions to our scholarship program are especially meaningful this year. On behalf of all members of our Union I express our sincere appreciation to Mario Gabelli."
