WASHINGTON, D.C.   The John R. Mott Scholarship Foundation, Inc., (the “Foundation”) of Washington, D.C., dedicated to the education of the children of Calabria, Italy, will hold its Annual Award Ceremony and Reception at 4:00 p.m. on June 13, 2014, at the Principessa Hotel in Campora San Giovani, Cosenza, Italy.  At the Ceremony, 126 academic scholarships will be awarded to students from all over the Region of Calabria.  Beginning in 2001, the Foundation has awarded 1373 scholarships for higher education to the young men and women of Calabria.  The primary requisites for receiving a scholarship are the student’s academic achievement, financial need and a commitment to use the benefit of this education to make a contribution to the Region of Calabria.

Mario V. Mirabelli, Esq., the President of the Mott Foundation who was awarded the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy on June 2, 2014, stated “We are very proud of the quality of the academic credentials of this year’s class of scholarship awardees.  It is the hope of the Mott Foundation that receiving a Mott Scholarship will in the near future be recognized in Italy and elsewhere as an indication of superior academic achievement.”

John R. Mott, the creator of the Foundation, was born Giovanni Motta in 1909 in the mountain village of Serra d’Aiello, Calabria, Italy and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1911.  Although a man of significant means, Mr. Mott eschewed luxury, maintained a frugal lifestyle and preferred instead to invest his resources for a larger cause:  his dream of eventually giving back to the beloved land of his birth, Calabria, Italy.  Mr. Mott created the Foundation prior to his death in 1998.

The John R. Mott Scholarship Foundation is a supporting organization of the National Italian American Foundation.

The 2014 John R. Mott Scholarship Foundation Awardees are:

Contact: Mario V. Mirabelli – 202-441-0072