June 19, 2008
Zelesky receives YWCA/Daybreak Great Guy Award
Jason Zelesky, the Associate Dean of Students and Wellness Outreach Coordinator at Clark University, received a Great Guy Award from the YWCA and Daybreak organizations, during ceremonies June 16, at the Worcester Art Museum.
The Great Guy Award was established in 2004 to recognize the outstanding contributions of men in the community who have been inspired to learn and better understand the issue of domestic violence, and who have demonstrated their commitment to end violence against women and children.
In his remarks, Zelesky credited his single mother and sister and also congratulated the other 2008 Great Guy Award recipients: Councilor-at-Large Joseph M. Petty, District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., and Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray. As reported in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Zelesky applauded Daybreak, saying, "These heroes are working on the front lines of violence every day."
Zelesky has been working directly with college students for the past 13 years and at Clark for the last seven years. He also worked at the University of Vermont, Saint Leo University in Florida, and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. As a health educator and higher education administrator, Zelesky has worked extensively with students as they attempt to navigate the developmental obstacles and challenges associated with the college experience.
At Clark, Zelesky coordinates the sexual violence prevention programming on campus and is the author of the University's "Survivor Guide." In addition, he has spent more than a decade working specifically with young boys and men to reduce violence against women and homophobia.
Zelesky is the co-chair of the Planned Parenthood of Central Massachusetts Advisory Committee and is active in his support of women's reproductive rights and comprehensive health education.
Zelesky was born and raised in Worcester.
The YWCA has been providing services to battered women and their children since 1996 when Daybreak Resources for Women and Children (est. 1976) merged with the YWCA. The overall mission of the Daybreak program is to foster safety within the community by: enabling women to break free from abuse; equipping young people with the skills to resist violence and abuse; promoting safe, non-violent and mutually respectful interaction with families; and encouraging women to share their strength and courage with others. Core services include: emergency shelter, hot line, court advocacy, short-term counseling and group support, and community education.