HURLEYVILLE — Surrounded by former clients, colleagues and family at a retirement celebration Saturday afternoon, Hedy Kaminski was recognized not just for a long career, but for decades of work that helped change lives across Sullivan County.
After more than 40 years in the county, Kaminski is retiring and preparing to relocate to South Carolina to be closer to family. Even so, she said she does not plan to step away from service work.
“I can’t retire,” Kaminski said. “I’m not a retiring person.”
Much of the recognition at Saturday’s gathering centered on her many years as a case manager in a women’s residential program at the Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster Recovery Center, where she worked with women transitioning out of detox and into long-term stability.
“If you throw somebody after six or seven or eight months out of the program, they’re lost,” Kaminski said. “They come out on the streets lost.”
Her work extended beyond coordinating care. Kaminski said she prioritized helping each woman secure housing before leaving the program and staying in contact after discharge—often continuing support for years.
“I stayed in touch with all of them,” she said, “these are my girls!”
Kaminski said that support often continued through major life milestones, including weddings and the births of children. In some cases, she said, families she once helped are now returning years later, bringing a new generation with them.
One woman who once came to the center with her 3-year-old son is now returning years later, Kaminski said, as that son—now grown—is expecting a child of his own.
Kaminski described the work as the most meaningful of her career, shaped in part by personal experience with addiction in her own family. Over time, she said she developed a deep respect for the women she worked with and their resilience.
“When they wrote their life stories for me, I just couldn’t believe how courageous they were,” she said. “They survived their abuse… they survived having a gun put to their head… they survived having their kids taken away.”
A consistent challenge, she said, was finding safe and stable housing for clients leaving treatment—something she identified as essential to long-term recovery.
In addition to her work with the recovery center, Kaminski was one of the founding members of the 1st Way Life Center in Monticello, where she has volunteered for more than a decade and now serves as chairman of the board.
At 1st Way, she helps coordinate support for individuals and families in need, including distributing food and clothing, arranging temporary shelter, assisting with utility payments and connecting clients with social services.
“There’s a lot of need in this county,” Kaminski said. “It hasn’t let down.”
Speakers at the event pointed to Kaminski’s impact not only on clients but across the broader community. Amy Kolakowski from the Catholic Charities described her as someone who combined professional skill with a deeply personal approach, emphasizing that her effectiveness came from the way she treated people—with dignity, consistency and genuine care.
Others highlighted her volunteer work through the 1st Way Life Center and church groups, where she contributed to organizing donations, distributing food and supporting families in crisis. Speakers said much of that work happens quietly, but has had a measurable impact on families in need throughout the county.
Three of Kaminski’s “girls”, Elizabeth Peters, Donna Bartlett and Jennifer Ferrantello, were able to attend the retirement party.
“She gave me a new life,” Ferrantello said.
“It was never the job. It was never about the money. It was genuine care for people,” said Bartlett.
“She believed in me,” said Peters. “That made all the difference.”
In her own remarks, Kaminski reflected on the importance of maintaining relationships after formal treatment ends, describing continued check-ins and informal support as a way to help people navigate daily challenges outside structured programs.
Kaminski’s daughter, Agatha Bodwell, said her mother’s commitment to helping others shaped her own outlook over time.
“At some point, you realize how incredible she is,” Bodwell said. “We have to love. We just have to love on people. It doesn’t matter if they love us back or not.”
Reflecting more broadly, Kaminski described her life as one centered on service and relationships, saying she considers herself fortunate to have spent her years helping others.
Kaminski said she plans to continue her pro-life work at a center in South Carolina after relocating.
“I’m going to take over,” she said with a laugh.