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Herald Person of the Year
If you had to think about one force for positive change in Baldwin, you might first think of Claudia Rotondo.
Rotondo, 72, is the director of the Baldwin Council Against Drug Abuse, a drug-prevention and awareness agency focused on teaching students about drug abuse, and a founder of the Community Coalition of Baldwin, which focuses on creating social and recreational opportunities in town. In honor of her service to the community, the Herald is proud to name her its 2022 Person of the Year.
Rotondo joined the Council Against Drug Abuse, founded in 1970 by Ellen Silberman, in 1986, as a part-time secretary. Since then Rotondo has become a leader in drug-use-prevention education and teaching children about drug-free lifestyles.
Karyn Reid, a member of the Baldwin Board of Education and a close friend, said that Rotondo is deeply devoted to her community. Over the years, Reed said, she and Rotondo became friends as they served in the Lenox School’s PTA, and Rotondo became PTA Council president.
“Sometimes I wonder if Baldwin should be humble, or if we deserve the best,” said Reid. “We do deserve the best, and I believe Claudia Rotondo is a part of that. She brings the things the Baldwin community deserves.”
Assemblyman Brian Curran recognized Rotondo as a New York State Women of Distinction in 2013. The honor goes to women whose civic engagement makes their communities a better place.
A 1971 graduate of St. John’s University, Rotondo went back to school in 1991 at Adelphi University in 1991, and completed a master’s degree in social work three years later. In 2005 she began teaching an introductory course in social work at Fordham University, and in 2009 she became an adjunct instructor at Molloy University, where she continues to teach a class on substance abuse.
In 2011 she made a deal with then Baldwin Schools Superintendent James Mapes to teach a 10-week curriculum called Too Good for Drugs at the district’s elementary schools. Since then she has taught subjects ranging from goal-setting to decision-making as well as dealing with peer pressure, and drug awareness.
“Sometimes when I see people in the community that I’ve helped in the past, and they make a special effort to come over and say, ‘I’m actually graduating school this year, and I owe it all to you,’ I would say, ‘I didn’t do the work. You did the work,’” Rotondo said.
She estimated that she teaches some 700 students per year, and they have nicknamed her Professor Plum, befitting her purple hair, outfits and accessories.
“When I first started teaching drug use prevention, I heard a kid behind me say, ‘It’s going to be another adult telling us, don’t do drugs,’” Rotondo recalled. “I turned around and said, ‘So I suppose you think I’m just here to say don’t do drugs. Quite frankly, I don’t care. It’s your life, and it’s your choice. I don’t want people telling me what to do and what not to do, so I would never tell you what to do or what not to do. My purpose here, however, is to teach you about the different substances that are out there.’”
As part of a grant given by the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports, Rotondo needed to get involved in a community coalition, so she started her own, the Community Coalition of Baldwin, in 2011.
“The purpose of that was to raise community awareness about substance abuse,” she said, “and to provide a positive alternative to kids and community members who are having issues, and also to bring the community together in a more cohesive way. Which the organization does each year with the Grand Baldwin Festival.”
David Viana, a founder of the Baldwin Civic Association, eventually joined the coalition, and together the two came up with the idea of having a community festival to highlight local businesses and their employees.
“Claudia brings a lot to the community — she’s played a major part in Baldwin for decades,” Viana said. “Nowadays she’s involved in the school district, and leaves a lasting impact on children in terms of drug use prevention.”
Viana recalled meeting Rotondo in 2013 at the Baldwin Public Library’s volunteer fair, where Viana was representing the civic association and she represented the Council Against Drug Abuse. The two soon began working on ways that they and their organizations could join forces.
“Claudia’s legacy will be helping Baldwin organize an event that brings the whole community together every year and which celebrates our community, which is the Grand Baldwin Festival,” Viana said.
The Community Coalition’s first festival took place in October 2019, in collaboration with the Baldwin Public Library. More than 70 vendors and 3,000 people attended the event, in the municipal parking lot behind the parking lot.
The festivals have taken place every year since, and this fall, Rotondo said, she was planning to organize the largest one yet, with over 100 vendors. Due to heavy rain, however, it was postponed until next April.
For now, she continues doing what she does best — teaching Baldwin’s youth better ways to spend their time than using drugs — and it’s a safe bet that next spring’s festival will be one to remember.
