Montclair Heroes Celebrated By U.S. Congress Member

MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY — Montclair is not without its heroes.

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherril announced Tuesday the names of more than 50 everyday heroes who serve communities in New Jersey's 11th District, and four of whom hail from Montclair.

“Each and every one of our 2022 Heroes have left our towns better than they found them as first responders, volunteers, teachers, healthcare workers, and good citizens," Sherrill said.

"I am as inspired as they are by the selfless and important actions taken by our heroes."

Winners in Montclair include an educator who brings pies to seniors and dorm kits to high school grads and a hospital worker nominated by her husband.

"No one has helped families deal with the death of their loved ones more," he wrote.

The 2022 Heroes live or work in Sherrill's district and each will receive a congressional certificate recognizing their contributions.

Here's who won in Montclair:

Aminah Toler, Board of Education Administrator, Montclair

Nominate by her friends, Kimberly Latortue and Megan and Daniel Roberts

“Aminah is Montclair’s connector. She is involved with various community efforts that bring people together. A founding member of Montclair Mutual Aid, she saw a need for community support and helped found this organization that helps neighbors help neighbors. Aminah also created the town-wide Adopt a Family program that helps families during the holidays put gifts under the tree. She partners with PTA's in town to donate pies to seniors during Thanksgiving and dorm kits for graduating seniors. She is often nicknamed "Ms Montclair." She is a community hero for all that she does.”

Janet Duni, Nurse, Montclair

Nominated by her co-worker, Katherine L Fowler

“When we started to see the post-pandemic need for mental health services rising, Janet Duni, Director of Care Coordination at Vanguard Medical Group, jumped to action. She led an effort to elevate the behavioral health options for our patients and implemented a plan that offered new resources, expanded access, and improved services. Janet collaborated with numerous community partners to develop a comprehensive offering for our primary care teams to help patients get the appropriate access to the care they need. She also provided education to our staff on behavioral health referrals and management, making us all better prepared and more aware of our patient’s needs. Through her efforts, more patients than ever were connected to the care they needed. Our behavioral health network now includes hospital-based systems, community organizations, and online provider options that allow a wide range of options and expertise. She is a fierce patient advocate that works tirelessly to bring comprehensive care to our many communities throughout NJ-11. We are very lucky to have this hero on our team and in our community.”

Oren Segal, VP, Center on Extremism at ADL, Montclair

Nominated by his friend, Scott Cherkin

“Amazing local hero fighting hate not just for jewish people but all minorities. He was regularly in the national news media during the Trump era but, in light of the latest rise of antisemitism, his work is more relevant than ever.”

Susanne Walther, Head of Palliative Care, University Hospital Newark, Montclair

Nominated by her spouse, Randy Walther

“During the past 2 years, as the head of Palliative Care in New Jersey's largest hospital, no one has helped families deal with the death of their loved ones more than Sue Walther. The complications of the COVID pandemic coupled with an underserved urban population created a morbidity crisis previously unseen in New Jersey. The entire staff of University Hospital relied on Nurse Practitioner Walther's medical, communication and compassion expertise to help the community through this crisis.”