Originally Published: 2007-05-13

Ontario minister of Health George Smitherman, minister of Finance Greg Sorbara, Vaughan mayor Linda Jackson, numerous councillors, Villa Charities chair Dino Chiesa, Villa Charities Foundation chair Rudy Bratty, Villa Colombo Vaughan chair Sam Ciccolini; many politicians and common folks alike attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony that officially opened Villa Colombo Vaughan.
“There were over 300 people, including politicians, friends, seniors, supporters, and members of the Villa Charities board,” said Pal Di Iulio, Executive Director of Villa Charities. “It was a nice ceremony, and the retirement residence was blessed by father John Borean, in charge of the church of St. Clare in Woodbridge.”
Actually, Villa Colombo Vaughan already accommodates 160 seniors. “In fact, we have exactly 160 beds,” smiled Di Iulio. “After welcoming the first resident, Maria Di Salvo, on October 30 last year, applications piled up incessantly; by January we had no vacancies left, and the waiting list has 100 applicants on it.”
Lengthening life expectancy and the desire to move to a welcoming, Italian-style facility play a key role in prompting projects like Villa Colombo. “The first Villa Colombo opened in 1976 and was an instant hit, thanks to the level of care it guarantees its 391 residents, 24/7,” added Di Iulio. “The ever-increasing demand and our inability to satisfy it all at Villa Colombo led us to design a new Villa Colombo facility.”
Considering that over the past decades the Italian-Canadian community has moved north-west, Vaughan was the natural location. “The idea of a new Villa Colombo began to form in 1998-99, when we submitted our project to the minister of Health who granted his approval,” reminisced Pal Di Iulio. “Philanthropist John Di Poce donated the land near Hwy 27 and Nashville Rd, and work slowly progressed.”
Facilities of this scope require a lot of money. “Villa Colombo Vaughan cost $30 million,” specified Di Iulio, “a sum that isn’t usually raised in one day; however, there’s plenty of generous people, and many Italian-Canadians made donations, and the rest came from the high-level work of Sam Ciccolini, Frank and then Jim De Gasperis, Laura Del Bo, and the fundraising gala events such as the Venetian Ball. We are still raising funds, because of course the launch of our project does not mean that the bill has been completely footed.”

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