Michael MacKenzie - 2003 Bud Knight Award
Recipient
This year’s recipient of the BUD KNIGHT AWARD for exemplary
youth service delivery is MIKE MACKENZIE, a resident of Essex
County. Mr. MacKenzie has been a tireless volunteer and advocate
of many charitable organizations in Windsor and Essex County.
Mike is a Windsor Police Officer who has served in this capacity
for approximately 25 years. He has been a committed Youth
Officer who serves his community through many endeavours.
Mike along with a small group of people undertook a plan
to help the youth of Sandwich/Windsor West to form the group
known as STAG (Sandwich Teen Action Group). Saint Edward School,
which was vacant became the home of this organization. There
were a lot of problems to overcome to get this program to
work. There was a lack of money because there weren’t
any government grants or major companies offering sponsorship.
All monies were raised via charitable donations, bingos, walks,
etc. Mike spent many hours in the search to find companies
who would help with building repairs for little or no remuneration.
Furniture such as couches, desks and computers were costly
and hard to come by. Mike, along with others, managed to have
them donated or sold to STAG at a reduced cost.
Because of all the work done by Mike and others, today the
program is a great success. A basketball game is usually in
progress, along with baseball in the summer. Doctors and nurses
come in to talk to teens about health problems from acne to
communicable diseases to pregnancy. Teachers give freely of
their own time to tutor students. There is peer counseling
available, along with experts who come to talk of the many
social problems teens can encounter. Programs have also been
established to try and build self-esteem. Thousands of teens
from all over the city have attended STAG. No one is ever
turned away.
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