Contact: Nat T. Bender, nbender [@] aftnj.org, 908-377-0393
Young worker national “Everyday Hero” for rebuilding and community service work
EDISON…From Haiti to New Orleans and from Essex County to the Jersey Shore, Krystal Woolston has dedicated her life to leading volunteer efforts to help communities rebuild from disasters, developmentally disabled individuals learn to navigate society and students clean up the environment. For going far beyond her job responsibilities as assistant director of service learning and community engagement at Montclair State University, Woolston is winning the Every Day Hero award for higher education from the American Federation of Teachers next week in Los Angeles.
A typical summer for Woolston, in June she led a group of students to help rebuild New Orleans’ lower ninth ward damaged by hurricane Katrina, then took a vacation week off in July to volunteer with a camp whose mission is to reunite siblings separated in foster care. After being recognized with the Everyday Hero award in Los Angeles July 10, Woolston returns to prepare for a new group of incoming 32 students who will lead community service projects then heads back to the Jersey Shore in August for another round in her continuing role rebuilding housing stock damaged by Sandy.
In addition to academic grounding through a masters in College Student Counseling and Personnel Services and coursework towards a Ph.D. in Family Studies, Woolston volunteer activities have helped her build a varied skill set. Modest about her many achievements, Woolston’s only boast is about her prowess on a construction site where her training and knowledge equip her to lead a group of inexperienced students to safely jump into construction projects benefiting working class and poor families impacted by disasters.
Nominated by her colleagues in Montclair’s Local representing Montclair State University faculty, professional staff and librarians, Woolston was selected from among 200,000 American Federation of Teachers members who work in institutions of higher education across the country.
“A labor union is not all about negotiating contracts and protecting employees,” said local President Richard Wolfson, a professor of education. “We have community outreach events, and Krystal is very involved in leading and participating in them. She is, plain and simple, a hero, and we are proud to call her one of our own.”
American Federation of Teacher New Jersey President Donna M. Chiera applauded Woolston’s selection. “The program Krystal runs performs so many critical functions it provides an excellent example of the value that public institutions and unionized workers bring to the extended community.”
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