Catherine Wilson had worked for years to improve education, health and income opportunities for people in Newark and elsewhere in N.J., and now she is getting recognized for it.
Pictured, Wilson at work. (Courtesy of United Way) NEWARK -- Catherine Wilson had worked for years to improve education, health and income opportunities for people in Newark and elsewhere in N.J., and now she is getting recognized for it.
Wilson, as the Acting Chief Executive Officer of United Way of Essex and West Hudson, has helped provide families in 13 municipalities with backpacks, books, reading programs, health workshops, and savings "matching" opportunities with TD Bank -- allowing families that save $1,000 to get $4,000 in return if they take financial literacy courses.
Earlier in December, Wilson was announced the recipient of the 2015 Fairleigh Dickinson University Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award.
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"I was just very, very honored when they called me. I started crying and then I ran to the CFO's office and I was like 'oh my God, oh my God, I won the award!'" she said. "It was just really surprising, I guess, because I never win anything. For me, it's not really about winning the award... For me, it was about the recognition of the work being important."
Wilson, who already holds a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in social work, said she will receive $2,500 for any Spring/Fall 2016 certificate program offered by the FDU Center for Excellence. She plans to explore education on fundraising efforts, she said.
For 15 years, Wilson also held various roles working in Newark, she said, not just for United Way, but also for Essex CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocates) for Children, and as a state child protection worker.
"I actually came to Newark in Oct. 2001," she said. "I was a reporter, actually, when I was in college... My dad was like, you know, kid, there's this Internet thing. You may not be able to have a job in 10 years. I got a job working for DYFUS."
When she began that work, she said, she saw "every kind" of poverty, including families without electricity or hot water.
Since then, she has also seen major success stories: one single mother of four in Newark used the United Way match-savings program money for school, eventually getting her master's in social work, Wilson said.
Wilson said that she was born in Illinois before moving all around N.J. after she was 6, so she felt like she never really had a hometown.
When she told people she was going to work in Newark, they said she was "insane," she recalled.
"Newark has a bad reputation, but Newark is a wonderful city that has so much to offer," she said. "I fell in love with the people, because Newark is a very proud city, and the people who lived there and grew up there are really proud. There's something about people who have a passion for their hometown, it resonated with me."
Laura Herzog may be reached at lherzog@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LauraHerzogL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
