Leslyn Stewart
May 11, 2011
Leslyn Stewart
Award: HONORING WOMEN IN NEW YORK
Year: 2011
Leslyn Stewart’s life changed forever when her husband, New York City Police Officer Dillon Stewart, was fatally shot while trying to pull over a driver in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Though devastated, Ms. Stewart channeled her grief and turned it into something that would help others.
Ms. Stewart continues to honor her husband’s memory by being an active volunteer in promoting police safety. She served as an inspirational speaker and volunteer in the New York Police Department’s Brooklyn South Patrol Borough Base Training and as the Chairperson of the Health and Wellness Committee for the National Organization of Black Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) New York Chapter.
Her positive impact resonates through the organizations in which she serves and the lives she touches. In addition to her volunteer work, Ms. Stewart established the local chapter of the Concerns Of Police Survivors, an organization that provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Additionally, she remains active in the Dutch Broadway Elementary School PTA in Elmont.
If you ask Ms. Stewart which job she most enjoys, she would immediately tell you “being a mom.” Raising her two daughters and working as a registered nurse at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, Ms. Stewart continues to exude tremendous strength and courage.
The great State of New York has been built on the perseverance, dedication and commitment of its citizens. Ms. Stewart knows and possesses those traits as she serves as a role model in her community and beyond.