Kiwanian of the Year

Debbie Tota goes above and beyond

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The Kiwanis Club of Wantagh has been a big part of Debbie Tota’s life for more than two decades. Her dedication to the service organization recently earned her the chapter’s Kiwanian of the Year award, the second time Tota has received the honor.

At the Kiwanis Club’s installation dinner on Oct. 30 at the Riviera in Massapequa, Tota was surprised when it was announced that she was this year’s recipient. “She’s not about getting awards or the recognition,” Kiwanis President Heidi Felix said. “That’s why I wanted her to have the award.”

Ironically, Tota said, she won the award in a year when she felt she didn’t do as much for the club as she normally does. In the past year, she organized a comedy night at Governor’s of Levittown to raise money for scholarships for graduating Wantagh High School students. For the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the Men that Cook casino night in April, she secured sponsors and raffle prizes.

Tota donated clothing to St. Frances de Chantal Church and, for the Kiwanis division, she ran a miniature golf outing at Sky Drive in Farmingdale. She also assisted Lt. Gov. Ann Torcivia with a karaoke night at a bar in Franklin Square to raise money for the Joey Foundation, in honor of Torcivia’s son who suffered from A-Plastic Anemia.

Tota’s Kiwanian of the Year award included a donation in her name to the Joey Foundation.

What Tota calls a down year for service, Felix says exemplifies exactly what a Kiwanis Club member should be. Even while taking care of her mother, Felix said Tota continues to host the monthly Board of Directors meetings at her home.

Felix said that Tota is the peace-maker of the club, and keeps her fellow Kiwanians focused on the principles of the organization. She also noted that when the chapter’s numbers were dwindling a few years ago, Tota never lost faith and even recruited new members.

Tota first got involved with Kiwanis when the babysitter for her children, Kathy Eisman, encouraged her to join. Now, her children are grown, and Tota hasn’t looked back. “It’s a great organization,” she said. “I don’t think of it as a networking organization. I think of it as about community and service.”

Networking is an area where Tota shines, Felix said, as she has made friends with Kiwanians from chapters throughout Nassau County. Every year, Tota helps the Garden City club plan its St. Patrick’s Day luncheon.

She has lived in Wantagh for 30 years. Her children, Robert, 24, and Kathy, 21, are graduates of Mepham High School. Tota said she is grateful for the award, which she also received a few years ago along with Nancy Kalberer. This time, the spotlight belonged just to Tota.

“She has the biggest heart,” Felix said. “She is so kind and caring. She’s just someone I adore and I aspire to be like her when it comes to her commitment to Kiwanis.”