WALLINGFORD — The Rotary Club of Meriden increased its ranks Tuesday night with the induction of U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona as an honorary member.
Cardona was celebrated at the annual awards dinner and new officer installation ceremony held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wallingford beside multiple fellow awardees, with club members heaping praise upon him for his years as a fixture of Meriden community life.
“He is here at the invitation of the Meriden Rotary because of his strong commitment to the City of Meriden,” said Meriden Rotary Club President Dona Ditrio. “We have standards [for an award] that you have to meet about service above self. The Secretary of Education is going to be inducted for his undying commitment to education.”
As part of his induction, Cardona was named a Paul Harris Fellow, a tribute to what Ditrio described as his lifelong career “ensuring that the academic system is all that it can be.”
Cardona himself also distributed an award on behalf of Rotary to Maloney High School senior Anthony Valerie, who was honored alongside fellow Maloney class of 2023 graduate Sean Finn. Valerie and Finn received Citizenship Awards in recognition of their academic records — earning grade point averages over 4.0 — and community service hours during their high school careers.
Cardona accepted the fellowship, but was quick to redirect attention toward his family and the greater Meriden community, crediting both groups for his professional success and career path.
“Letters after your name and paddles aside, I come here as a son of Hector and Sarah Cardona, husband of Marissa and parent of Angelito and Celine. Those are the titles that matter the most to me,” he said. “Meriden raised me. This is home, and it’s this community that gave me the inspiration to serve.”
The Rotary Club also acknowledged individuals and organizations whose work within the city caught their eye in the past year. Those honored included Meriden Police Officer Jeff Witikin, who was commended for his work training law enforcement cadets and his collaborative efforts with The Hometown Foundation orchestrating food and toy drives.
Witkin said he was pleasantly surprised to be named an honoree and attributed his award to police department leadership, which he said provided him the resources to work with charitable organizations and young people.
“I’m very grateful for this honor,” Witkin said. “It comes because we have good leadership at the police department that encourages us to go out and do these things, and this is the result.”
Albert Mislow — executive director of the Curtis Home — attended the dinner to represent the over 100-year-old skilled nursing, residential and rehabilitation facility, which was recognized by the Rotary Club. Mislow thanked the club for both honoring the Curtis Home and raising awareness for the facility, adding that the home has managed to survive for over a century thanks to the philanthropy of community members.
Meriden Rotary “have been the catalyst to start to get the Curtis Home to be reborn and to be the great organization it has been and will be in the future,” Mislow said. “We really need the community’s support for the Curtis Home to survive for the next 100 years.”
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