Prisco Panza was invited to an Amity Club meeting by a friend in 2012. He didn't join a civic club that year so much as inherit a mission that's been running in Greater New Haven since 1936, when a group of Italian-American professionals founded the organization around a simple premise: unselfish service, humanitarian values, and genuine friendship, in that order.
"The club's mission deeply impressed me," says Panza, now the Amity Club's Director of Donor Relations. Nearly a century later, that mission still shows up nineteen times a year, every club meeting from September through June, and in a charitable footprint that stretches across fourteen towns in the New Haven area, Milford included.
From Member to Steward
Panza's own path through the club is fairly typical of how Amity builds its leadership: board member, then Vice President, then President for the 2018–2019 term. By club tradition, a Past President serves a five-year term on the board of the Amity Charitable Trust, the club's separate giving arm. Panza's term ended in 2024, but he was asked to stay on as Director of Donor Relations. "The opportunity to serve the Greater New Haven community remains my primary motivation," he says.
That giving arm, known as ACT, is where the club's fundraising becomes tangible. It's built from individual funds, most established by club members, that flow into a permanent endowment now holding just under $4 million. During his presidency, Panza created the President's Project dinner, honoring four local Italian-American community leaders and raising more than $30,000 to establish an ACT fund that makes annual contributions to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital. His mother, separately, set up a family fund within the Trust that endows two high school scholarships every year.
Where the Money Goes
The numbers add up quickly. In 2026 alone, the Amity Club awarded more than $130,000 to 32 local high school students across those fourteen towns, with individual scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $10,000. Many carry the names of current or former members who established them. Beyond scholarships, the club maintains Worthy Projects and Community Support Funds that back organizations including the Connecticut Food Bank, Yale New Haven Hospital, local churches, and a range of social services. Every May, the club hosts signature events to formally present that year's awards.
To qualify for a scholarship, applicants must be graduating high school seniors living in one of fourteen towns — New Haven, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Milford, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Wallingford, West Haven, or Woodbridge — with a combined SAT of 1000 or higher (or ACT composite of 20+), an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0, and plans to attend an accredited college or university.
Two events carry most of that fundraising weight: the annual Twohill Cup Golf Event each August, and the Annual Wine Tasting every November. "These events succeed thanks to the strong commitment of our members and sponsors," Panza says.
Why Give Local
Ask Panza what gratitude means in the context of this work, and he doesn't hesitate. "When I was young, my parents instilled in me the belief that true happiness comes from serving others," he says. "Having achieved success in life, I am deeply grateful and eager to give back." He often returns to a passage from the Gospel of Luke: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be expected; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
That philosophy extends to how Panza thinks about local giving specifically. "Giving locally creates direct and visible community impact, allowing you to see your support help neighbors in real time," he says. Local organizations, he argues, understand regional challenges better than national ones, and funds like ACT run with minimal administrative overhead, so more of every dollar reaches the people it's meant for.
Outside the club, Panza's gratitude list is a personal one: his employees at Winsupply of Shelton, his family, friends, and neighbors, and especially his parents. His mother, 96 and still active, has been honored by numerous organizations for her volunteer work and remains, he says, an inspiration to the whole family. He's also quick to credit his wife, Gina, who has supported him through 24 years of marriage while building her own career as a teacher and administrator.
Looking Ahead
The club's next chapter is already taking shape. Current President Phil Grande has brought new energy to the role, and this year's Wine Tasting, chaired by Bill Parisi, lands November 6th at Woodwinds in Branford, with 50 percent of profits earmarked for local organizations like Kids for Kids. Beyond fundraising, the club's biggest priority going forward is membership itself. With 130 members currently, Amity is actively recruiting the next generation of people who, like Panza thirteen years ago, walk into a meeting and find a mission worth staying for.
"When I was young, my parents instilled in me the belief that true happiness comes from serving others."