Crystal Anderson helps those around the world—from local teenagers in Maple Grove to families in Cambodia. Photos: Crystal Anderson
Crystal Anderson, who works for the City of Maple Grove as a recreation supervisor with an emphasis on teenagers and outreach, transformed her dedication to service to a new environment: Cambodia. In January, she combined her passion for service with a new cultural experience as part of a trip organized by St. Francis Catholic Church in her hometown of Brainerd.
“We met up with a mission called Freely Given, and part of their mission is medical work,” Anderson says. In addition to the resident missionaries with medical backgrounds, some of the fellow travelers provided medical care to locals in and around Siem Reap, where the team was based. “We would entertain the children while their parents were able to get medical services,” she says. They also helped with various building, cleaning and painting projects. “We did a lot of painting at the local St. Joseph’s Catholic Church there,” Anderson says. “One of the first days, we met the priest who runs it.” When the team asked what they could do to help, he said he was thinking about getting a microwave.
“Something as simple as that,” Anderson says. “We never told him I was the one, but I bought a microwave for him. It was just so touching to me.”
Anderson notes the differences between life in Minnesota and in Cambodia. “Everything is kind of wide open there,” she says. “Most places don’t have any air conditioning, and it’s usually 90 to 100 degrees. We rode on motos—kind of small mopeds—with wagons on the back.” The group also spoke with locals who still feel the effects of the oppressive Khmer Rouge regime, which ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. “There are still landmines all over the countryside,” Anderson says. “You’ll meet lots and lots of people who are missing limbs.” Many families live on floating homes in floating villages and stick close to productive fishing areas, making it difficult to return to land for medical care. “We went out there, and there was a little boy whose whole face was swollen because he had an infection in his tooth,” Anderson says. “They wouldn’t have been able to afford a doctor nor would they have had the resources to get in.”
Anderson brought along supplies for patients with diabetes, a disease that’s close to her heart. “My son is a Type 1 diabetic,” she says. “I filled half my suitcase with supplies that we have extras of: glucometers, test strips …”
Connecting with folks in need is a common thread in Anderson’s life. “The more you learn about the world and other people, the more connected you feel,” she says. “And the more you give back, the better the world seems to be.”
In college, she planned to do social work but switched to recreation, parks and leisure services after working as a recreation coordinator at a juvenile detention center. “I realized I would make a bigger difference in the teens’ lives through recreation,” she says.
With over 24 years with the City of Maple Grove, Anderson has indeed made a difference, working on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, running the teen programming and being an integral part of the city’s gardening initiatives. “We’ve been very intentional about building beautiful parks and recreation opportunities for everybody,” she says. “Maple Grove is a beautiful city to live in.”
Learn about Maple Grove’s Parks and Recreation offerings at maplegrovemn.gov.
