North Haven Rotary Tips Its Hat to Don’s Hat Rack

A local charity that received a donation from the North Haven Rotary Club in mid-July was founded by Toni Lynn Fracasso in memory of her brother, Donald Perrotti. 

After a six year battle with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer, Perrotti, who lived in Hamden, lost his fight at age 22 in 1999. 

Since there were remaining funds that had been collected to help offset her brother’s medical expenses, Fracasso said the balance was used as seed money to start Don’s Hat Rack, a cause that the family set up at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital that seeks to help youth stricken by cancer, including providing support for their families.

Some of the money is used to purchase video equipment and DVD's at the hospital for the children to watch during their many hours of treatment. Other dollars go for hats to hide the loss of their hair, a side effect of chemo and radiation treatments. Many hats and scarves have been donated with this in mind.

Still, more contributions are used to assist families with financial need. This direct aid has included assistance with utility bills, the purchase of food, and for practical things such as obtaining Christmas gifts for the siblings of the children who are ill.

Fracasso noted that it was obvious that prolonged illness requires lengthy and costly treatment which may force a parent to drop employment in order to care for the sick child. Because of this reduction of overall family income, the charity attempts to help where possible.

Since the spring of 2005, one particularly successful annual fundraiser has been a motorcycle rally. The venue was selected since Perrotti had been an avid motorcycle rider.

This past June, the rally originated in Hamden and ended in West Haven with a huge cookout for all of the participants, as well as their family and friends. 

The guest speaker emphasized that the rally actually provides an opportunity for the donors to meet some of the children who benefit from their support. Don’s Hat Rack reportedly received $30,000 from this year’s rally.

Text and photo courtesy of David Marchesseault and George Guertin, Rotary PR Committee.