Page 18 - North Haven Magazine Issue 25 Autumn 2022

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH

Rotary Club President by Marisa Hexter

1. How long have you been involved in the Rotary Club?
I have been with the Rotary since the early 2000s. I
became interested in the Rotary when I worked with the
then President Luigi Nuzzolillo, owner of Forget Me Not
Flower Shop on a fundraiser the Rotary was doing to
benefit North Haven schools. When Luigi asked me if
I would consider becoming a member of the NH Rotary
I said yes and started attending their weekly meetings.
By attending the meetings, I learned that Rotary is really
all about helping and supporting people on the local and
global levels. I liked the Rotary motto of Service Above
Self and the comradery amongst the Rotarians.

2. What are some roles you have been involved in before
becoming president?
I have been on the Board of Directors several times over
the years, a member and a chairperson on several of our
committees, and assistant treasurer. All Rotarians commit
to volunteering for our fundraisers. Whether it’s “A Day
of Caring”, our annual Wine, Roses, and Brews event,
our Pancake Breakfast that honors our Veterans, or our
North Haven Rotary “Tessa Marie” Road Race.

3. What made you decide to take the role of president?
It was the right time to be president. I had been planning
after 14 years as a member of the North Haven Board
of Education to resign from my position on the BOE. honors our Veterans and is run in conjunction with the
My evenings would be free and I would have the time North Haven Rotary “Tessa Marie” road race. This will be
to commit to being the President of Rotary and an held on November 13th at the middle school. As with
ambassador for our club within our community. Wine and Roses, all monies raised at these events will
be donated to charity.
4. For you, what does it mean to be president of Rotary? Just some of the charities we donate to are Masters
It is an honor to be Rotary President and continue the Manna, Bikers Against Animal Cruelty, Soul Friends,
work of our previous presidents and represent our Club NHTV, Eli Whitney Museum, North Haven Library,
locally and globally within Rotary International. Ronald McDonald House, and North Haven Education
Foundation to name a few as well as our scholarship
5. What would you like to do while you are in this role? program. Every year we give scholarships to graduating
In addition to raising money to support our charities, this North Haven seniors and to students at local universities.
year my plan is to raise community awareness about the
Rotary and bring in new members to help us continue 6. What do you like most about being in Rotary?
with the good work we do for our community. I like the spirit of giving, the friendships, and the different
experiences and backgrounds each member brings to
We have two big fundraising events coming up in the club.
September and November. Our biggest fundraiser of the
year is coming up on September 25th, our 20th year for 7. Are you from North Haven? If not how long have you
our Day of Wine, Roses, and Brew that will be held on the
grounds of Forget Me Not Flower Shop. There is a wine been here?
tasting competition of local winemakers, beer tasting I lived in Hamden most of my life, moving to North Haven
from local breweries, live entertainment throughout the when my eldest son was getting ready to start school. I
day, and of course, a lot of food generously donated by have been a resident for over 25 years. North Haven is
area restaurants. an amazing community that cares about all its citizens
especially our students and senior citizens.
Our second fundraiser is our Pancake Breakfast which

18 North Haven Magazine - Autumn Issue 2022