Star of Brooklyn: Glenn Wolin

GLENN WOLIN:

TEAM CHIEF, COMMUNITY BOARD 14 CERT

 

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Glenn Wolin, Brooklyn Community Board 14 member and Vietnam veteran, has a love of people and expresses that passion in several ways. Wolin’s involvement in helping people started early when he tutored kids with behavioral issues in college. “It worked so well, I changed my major and studied to become a social worker,” said Wolin.

Several years later, he began voicing his concerns regarding his neighborhood. “My wife said stop complaining and do something,” joked Wolin. And he did just that.

After noticing the neighborhood was dealing with car break-ins and other criminal issues, Wolin and three other people decided to restart the local security patrol, which had disbanded decades earlier. “That continued for about eight years until the recession hit us,” he said.

Once the security patrol ended, Wolin decided that he had some extra time and got involved in helping out the local Make-A-Wish foundation twice a month.

Wolin then joined the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) which is a program that educates and prepares people for hazards that impact their neighborhood and trains them in disaster response skills.

After volunteering as a fire marshal and first aid officer, Wolin was named the team chief of CERT for Community Board 14. “With CERT, when you’re helping, no one is patting you on the back,” he noted.

During Superstorm Sandy, Wolin and CERT helped run hurricane shelters. “It’s important to be prepared for disasters. We as volunteers are doing the recruitment. We are at fairs like the Avenue M Street Fair. I wish more people would find the time to learn about it.”

CAREER: Wolin had successful career in construction. “Now I have my own rental apartments that I maintain and manage,” he said.

PERSONAL LIFE: Wolin was born in Queens. He graduated from Brooklyn Tech High School. After serving in Vietnam, Wolin went back to school at Queensboro Community College and Richmond College, where he studied accounting, theater, and to be a social worker. He currently lives in Beverly Square West with his wife, who is a special education teacher.

MOTIVATION: Wolin has a strong desire to improve his neighborhood. “I believe that most of us in middle class are blessed to live in a country like this and we have a responsibility,” said Wolin. “It takes a lot of people. I’m never the only one. I’m part of the group. And it feels good to be making life better for the neighborhood and my wife and daughters. If people want to live in a good neighborhood, they have to help out.”

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