My purpose here, however, is to teach you about the different substances that are out there.’”Īs 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. 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. “I turned around and said, ‘So I suppose you think I’m just here to say don’t do drugs. “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. She estimated that she teaches some 700 students per year, and they have nicknamed her Professor Plum, befitting her purple hair, outfits and accessories. “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. Since then she has taught subjects ranging from goal-setting to decision-making as well as dealing with peer pressure, and drug awareness. 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. 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. 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. The honor goes to women whose civic engagement makes their communities a better place.Ī 1971 graduate of St. She brings the things the Baldwin community deserves.”Īssemblyman Brian Curran recognized Rotondo as a New York State Women of Distinction in 2013. “We do deserve the best, and I believe Claudia Rotondo is a part of that. “Sometimes I wonder if Baldwin should be humble, or if we deserve the best,” said Reid. 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. Karyn Reid, a member of the Baldwin Board of Education and a close friend, said that Rotondo is deeply devoted to her community. Since then Rotondo has become a leader in drug-use-prevention education and teaching children about drug-free lifestyles. Rotondo joined the Council Against Drug Abuse, founded in 1970 by Ellen Silberman, in 1986, as a part-time secretary. In honor of her service to the community, the Herald is proud to name her its 2022 Person of the Year. 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. If you had to think about one force for positive change in Baldwin, you might first think of Claudia Rotondo.
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