Page 18 - North Haven Magazine Spring 2021 Issue 18

FOUNDATION SPOTLIGHT

by Marisa Hexter

Since 2008, the Italian American The North Haven Education
Youth Foundation has helped nu- Foundation began as a com-
merous children, young adults, mittee in 2004 when the su-
young families, and the commu- perintendent of schools orga-
nity with their scholarships and nized a group of 25 business
donations. Nick Casella, a board people and educators to come
member of the foundation states together. In this commit-
the “Italian American Youth Foun- tee, the idea of an Education
dation stemmed from an organiza- Foundation was introduced.
tion called IYO (Italian American An idea that was becoming more popular through not only the state
Youth Organization)” which was but the country as well. In 2005, the North Haven Education Foun-
started by young Italian Americans dation was created as a non-profit organization, separate from the
in North Haven in 2004 to “get in- Board of Education, yet still working very closely with them. Ber-
volved in the community and Ital- nard Pellegrino, Jr. has been the Chairman of the sixteen-member
ian American Heritage.” During the board since the creation of the organization. The Foundation’s goal
Foundation’s development in 2008, is, “To raise money through funding efforts, and then reinvest that
a founding member, Marc Anthony money into the education system and in our town.” Over the years,
Casella, tragically passed away in an the Foundation has raised and reinvested close to $800,000.
automobile accident. The IYF cre-
ated the Marc Anthony Casella Ed-
ucation Fund in his memory which
helps with a variety of scholarships
to students in the community. The
IYF also donates to numerous fami-
lies with children with disabilities or
who are in need of help. The awards to families are given in memory of
Marissa Susan Adinolfi. Through the years the IYF and their very gen-
erous anonymous donors have helped award over $36,000 in scholar-
ships and $75,000 to families and organizations. The IYF has donated to
various organizations which help children in need like St. Baldrick’s, the
Ronald McDonald House, and food pantries in the surrounding area.
The IYF was founded in North
Haven but serves the sur-
rounding area as well, even go-
ing as far as Bridgeport to help The Education Foundation has, “Funded programs which were out-
a program called New Reach, side the scope of what the Board of Education could fund,” Pellegri-
which helps children of incar- no states. These programs include after-school strengthening and
cerated individuals. “When we conditions for students of the middle school and high school; which
find out about things like this, is just one of the countless programs the Foundation has funded
we try to do whatever we can,” over the years. Other projects include the creation of a tech lab and
Casella says. During the pan- providing money for physical improvements in the middle school.
demic, their usual fundraising Their most notable fundraising event is the annual Spelling Bee
events were not able to hap- hosted at the high school.
pen, but thanks to the Winter
Wonderland drive-through event at The Landing of North Haven, they For the North Haven Education Foundation, the pandemic has
were able to raise $9,500. “If it wasn’t for the Christmas drive-through... made their processes change, but not their goals. Fundraising was a
we wouldn’t have had our normal fundraising event because everything bit of a challenge and their biggest event has now been canceled two
was closed.” While the pandemic may have slowed down fundraising, years in a row. But during these challenging times, they were still
“The giving didn’t stop,” says Casella, “We actually gave more money in able to help out by creating recess bags for elementary school chil-
2020, than we’ve ever given.” They also helped package and deliver close dren. 3,500 bags were made including items each child could play
to 100 care packages to frontline workers, seniors, and others who were with during recess, as they were limited to what they could do, as per
struggling over the past year. restrictions from the pandemic.

The future is hopeful for the IYF as more people are learning about the “We’ve tried to be active in the community and incorporate the
foundation, what they do, and how they do it. Families are now giving community into our fundraising so that we're not just looking to
back to the organization that once helped them during a time where parents but businesses and other members of the North Haven com-
they were struggling, and anonymous individuals have been coming munity,” says Pellegrino. He also states the future for the North Hav-
out and donating as well. The Italian American Youth Foundation has en Education Foundation to be very bright, “The future holds a great
been donating and fundraising for children and families in need for opportunity for our younger families to become more active in the
around 13 years, “We want to continue to do so.” community and in the school system...now we’re hoping to expand
the scope of our board and our volunteer and our donors to some of
Italian American Youth Foundation Board Members: the newer members of our community.”
Nick & Elisa Casella, Anna Ferrucci, Michele Adinolfi, Bernadette DePi-
no, Michael Santore, Frank Landino, Brian Pedalino, Alex Casella

18 North Haven Magazine - Spring Issue 2021