Howell Nurse Awarded Brand New Roof In Essay Contest

HOWELL, NJ — Since the onset of the pandemic, Howell resident JoAnna Fabiano has volunteered at the COVID-19 unit in Monmouth Medical Center, where she works as an oncology nurse.

This week, she was rewarded for her efforts with a brand new roof.

The healthcare worker was selected by roofing company GAF as the winner of their Protecting the Protectors essay contest.

The company partnered with the television show "This Old House," which asked viewers to submit essays detailing what they or an essential worker they know had done to protect others during the pandemic in order to win a new roof.

"My brother-in-law had entered me into the contest, so I didn’t know about it until the sweepstakes company called me to tell me that I had won," Fabiano said.

She has owned the house where she lives with her partner for just about a year. The prize came at the perfect timing.

"I was in total disbelief. I was super excited because I knew we needed a roof, but didn’t realize how soon we needed one until we got a hole in our roof.”

Fabiano was chosen because of her "tireless efforts as a frontline worker to protect us all during the ongoing pandemic," the company said.