Dean, Sammy and Frank or, more accurately, uncanny facsimiles of the famed Rat Pack, helped the Sons of Italy celebrate 20 years of advancing the educational aspirations of deserving students. Saturday at a Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center ballroom appropriately decked out to the nines in a Las Vegas motif, the Order of Sons of Italy Lodge #2738 gifted 21 young men and women with more than $26,000 in scholarships and gift bags through its annual Scholarship and Citizen of the Year Awards Gala.

This latest round of generosity brings the two-decade tally to more than $370,000 in scholarships, awarded to hundreds of high school and college students of Italian descent. In 1999, when the local lodge was formed, only three scholarships were given. Now, thanks to the efforts of the recently formed Colorado Italian American Foundation, the scope of the awards continues to grow.