Wilmington’s 2020 Citizen of the Year remembers going to a gas station in Lake Placid for a cup of coffee one morning and spotting an older man sitting inside. Preston smiled, said hello and went about her day. She repeated that routine until a few days later, when the man asked her if she’d like to sit and chat. She said yes.

After six months of having coffee together every morning, he let her know just how much her kindness had meant.

“He said to me, ‘You saved my life,'” Preston said. “I said, ‘How did I do that?’ He said, ‘The morning you came in and smiled, I was going home to kill myself.'”

That man became one of Preston’s best friends and inspired her to join the Lake Placid Lions Club, an organization she has belonged to for more than a decade. It also prompted her to get involved with suicide prevention.

“Everybody’s fighting some type of battle. You don’t know what it is, and you don’t need to know what it is. You just have to be kind,” she said.

“There’s a lot of people out there that we’re not reaching. People need to know that mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed about. Mental illness does not mean you’re crazy, you’re insane, you need to be hospitalized. Mental illness comes in a lot of forms, from depression to anxiety. But everything can be treated. You just need people to care, and that’s where volunteering comes in for me.”

—

Service touches many

Preston, 55, is a mother of two boys, Trevor and Colton. She currently works as a medical office assistant at the Lake Placid Health and Medical Fitness Center. A Lake Placid High School graduate, Preston has lived in Wilmington for most of her life, and much of her family still lives there — with the exception of a sister, who lives in Florida part-time. Her family, much like the community around her, is tight-knit.

“I love the area,” she said. “We love the four seasons, and our kids love it here.”

Preston was nominated citizen of the year as part of an annual call for nominations from the Whiteface Mountain Regional Visitors Bureau. A volunteer committee names a resident to receive the award every year and presents the award at the annual Wilmington community dinner.

Preston started volunteering with a group of her friends when she was 12 years old. Since then, her volunteer efforts have touched dozens of local events and organizations.

“Tina is definitely deserving of this honor,” said Roy Holzer, Wilmington town supervisor. Holzer grew up with Preston and recalls spending time at her childhood home with friends. “She’s the kind of friend people long for. She’s very active in the community. She has a good heart. … She’s done a lot of things for the benefit of the community without expecting anything in return. We need a lot more of that.”

Preston has volunteered at the Wilmington Youth Center, the now-disbanded High Peaks Kiwanis Club, multiple local churches as a Sunday school teacher or administrator and as the leader of a Benson Buddies group for kids. She has served as an EMT for Wilmington Fire & Rescue, a substitute teacher at the Lake Placid Central School, and a member of Lake Placid Wilmington Connecting Youth and Communities, the local zoning board, chamber of commerce, fire department ladies auxiliary, the former Adirondack Neighbors organization and the Lions Club. Over the years, she has helped organize fundraisers, bike and foot races, the former Peak of Summer Country Fair, and now the Wilmington Whiteface Whiskey Run, a race and festival with proceeds to benefit the Wilmington Historical Society. At one point, she even coached a T-ball team.

“I know nothing about baseball,” she said.

—

Finding time to volunteer

Preston said she understands that many people feel they’re too busy to volunteer, and that it’s just a part of life for a lot of people to have to work multiple jobs to survive.

“Busy people make the best volunteers,” she said. “They’re goal-oriented, they know what needs to be done and they just go and get it done.

“Sometimes it gets a little hectic, but sometimes you just need to take a breath and say, ‘OK, where do I need to go now?'”

Ultimately, it’s worth it: “The more people volunteer, the more gratification they’re going to get,” she said.

Preston said she’s honored to be Wilmington’s Citizen of the Year.

“But I have to say, I can’t do this without the people that are there beside me doing it as well. Because I’m not the only volunteer, there is several more,” she said. “Each and every one of them is volunteering their own way and helping us. I’m very thankful to each and every one of them that are working with me, so that we can keep the growth in the community going, the activities in the communities going and expand things, but also help the children of the area.”

This year’s community dinner — where Preston will be honored alongside Wilmington Town Clerk Gerald Bruce, who is receiving the lifetime achievement award — is slated for Tuesday, March 10 at the Hungry Trout Restaurant. Cocktail hour is set to start at 6 p.m., with dinner to follow at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person. Those interested in attending can call 518-946-2255 or email info@whitefaceregion.com for more information.