These hands were made for helping: Introducing Krystal Fuller

Every week, I will be profiling an extraordinary human being who lives in our community. If you know someone who is doing something interesting with their life, I want to hear about it. Send me an email at [email protected].

Krystal Fuller is sure of it. It was all part of a divine plan.

“I’m finally doing my dream job,” says the 34-year-old mother of two bouncing boys, who moved to Huntsville from the city when she was five. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was help people. It’s like all these baby steps were to get me where I am.”

It’s Monday, and it’s Krystal’s first day at her new job. She’s the Salvation Army’s newest recruit. As the community ministries coordinator, a position that’s just been created, she has an important job. She will be doing everything from coordinating family services and client intake, to maintaining the Salvation Army’s food bank, organizing programs such as the seniors’ monthly luncheons and managing the Christmas hampers and kettles in December as well as facilitating other special initiatives and events.

Krystal Fuller is a collector of teacups and teapots. The teacup on the left belonged to her dear grandmother who has passed away.

“I’ve already cried twice,” Krystal tells me. She is sensitive, caring and full of compassion. Hearing stories of the hardships some local folks are facing tugged a little too hard on her heart strings on her first day.

The best part about her new job, aside from the fact that she gets to work at a place that is near and dear to her heart, is that she will be doing the one thing that she truly believes she was put on this earth to do: help people. It’s not something she needs recognition for. For Krystal, it’s a feeling inside. She likes knowing that she can make a difference. Doing what she can to bring a bit of joy to someone comes naturally.

Krystal has spent the last eight years of her life working for Chartwell, and during the past four she worked as a sales consultant for Rogers Cover Retirement Home. Certainly her job entitled her to help people and, ultimately, build relationships, but she was longing for a change. She knows herself and felt, deep down, that her heart was not entirely being fulfilled. Something was missing. And so when she came across the job posting for the Salvation Army searching for a person to fill the role as the community ministries coordinator, she actually cried.

When I saw the job posting, I thought, ‘This is it. This is the job for me.’ All the points that were outlined, I could see myself doing. I was like, ‘I got this.’ Even during the interview, I had never felt more at peace. Normally you’re all nervous, but I was calm. It was pretty amazing.

Receiving the opportunity to work at the Salvation Army, a place she calls a “pillar of life in the community,” she believes was part of her divine plan. It was in the cards, her destiny so to speak.

“This world is so dark at times, the Salvation Army brings light and hope and positive change… It really does. It touches so many people’s lives.”

She’s never been one to judge and always accepts people at face value. After all, you never know what someone might be going through. Everyone is fighting their own battle.

“Even as a child… I had this empathy for others. And then in school, I remember always reaching out to people who didn’t have a friend. I wasn’t really part of a group. I had all kinds of different friends. I’m one of those people who treats everyone with respect and compassion.”

(I actually went to Huntsville High School with Krystal and can attest she was one of those people who was friends with everyone. She had a special air about her. She was a sweet, soft-spoken, stick-to-herself kind of girl. And apparently, almost a decade later, she still is.)

Krystal holds a beautiful painting given to her by a resident of Rogers Cove. It is something she will cherish for the rest of her life, as it symbolizes something she received for the good she brought to the resident’s life.

The Salvation Army is a lifeline for so many locals. And Krystal knows how vital its services are. There was a time, many years ago, when her own family depended on them. It was Christmastime, and she remembers how excited she was when the Christmas hamper was delivered.

“I’ll never forget the look on my mom’s face,” recalls Krystal. “What the Salvation Army does to this day… it speaks directly to my heart.”

Krystal is big into community and volunteering. She believes growing up in this small town gave her the heart to appreciate how a little help goes a long way. She lent a hand to many different charitable causes such as the Meals on Wheels program, Muskoka Seniors luncheons, and she was also a member of the Huntsville Legion’s executive committee.

It’s a happy family at the Salvation Army! Krystal with Major Darren Wiseman and administrative assistant Sharon Dalrymple.

For a girl who’s only in her early 30s, Krystal seems like an old soul. She has a soft spot for seniors and believes we can all learn something from the older generation, if we just take the time to listen.

“There’s just so much we can gain from them,” she says. “They have so much knowledge and they can teach us a lot of life lessons. I believe every senior has something to teach us. They have so many qualities that are hard to come by.”

When Salvation Army Major Darren Wiseman met Krystal during the interview process for the position, he knew, right away, that no one else would be better suited. Out of 12 other applicants, Krystal stood out. There was something unique about her.

“We just knew,” Darren says of Krystal being the right on” for the job. “She’s this bright, wide-eyed girl, always upbeat and positive… She knows the community. You can already tell she is full of compassion. Those two things stood out right away. She’s very knowledgeable. The things she wants to do… she has the heart for this.”

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