Guarding the state\u2019s fiscal future is a hot topic in Alaska, but First Lady Donna Walker took a step back from that conversation to recognize one Juneau woman\u2019s efforts to guard her community sinking deeper into a heroin epidemic.<\/p>\n
Walker honored Michele Stuart Morgan, the founder of the grassroots group \u201cJuneau – Stop Heroin, Start Talking,\u201d during the First Lady\u2019s Volunteer of the Year award ceremony Wednesday at the Governor\u2019s Mansion. Twelve other volunteers from across the state were honored who as varied in their causes \u2014 serving the disabled and housing the homeless \u2014 as they were in their ages \u00ad\u2014 12 to 81. <\/p>\n
\u201c… When we\u2019re dealing with this financial crunch that we\u2019re in, our volunteers are just becoming more and more important as funding is a huge issue for a lot of our agencies and nonprofits. … They can lean on (volunteers) a lot more,\u201d Walker said, standing before the ceremony guests which included legislators and the award winners, and their families and friends.<\/p>\n
Morgan said she was honored to be there, counted among those who do so much good in the state, but she said the real work is a community effort.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur community was completely saturated with this horrible drug and deaths,\u201d Morgan said, after the ceremony. \u201cIt was affecting our families. We were very much on that wave (of the heroin epidemic across the country), and it was crashing on our whole community. I think everyone is ready to do something about this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The First Lady\u2019s office received six letters nominating Morgan for the award. A mother who lost her son and a sister who lost her brother were among those who nominated Morgan. Rep. Cathy Mu\u00f1oz also thew Morgan\u2019s name in the hat for the honor, writing that with an estimated 200 to 400 people using heroin every day in Juneau, the Stop Heroin, Start Talking group is fostering necessary conversations.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichele\u2019s selfless devotion to community and her profound care for others are priceless contributions to our community,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz wrote. \u201cAs a mother and friend, she saw a need and had the courage to take it head-on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gov. Bill Walker, also in attendance at the ceremony, told volunteers what they do for their communities and the state as a whole is especially great because they didn\u2019t wait for some government entity to do something first.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll this happens without any involvement of government, this all happens with the involvement of people helping people, and that\u2019s really what makes Alaska great,\u201d Walker said.<\/p>\n
Also from the Southeast, 12-year-old Tessa Salazar of Ketchikan earned her volunteer award for the \u201cKids\u2019 Cookies for a Cause\u201d fundraiser she started that has raised almost $40,000 for different organizations in her hometown.<\/p>\n
Further north, Mark Ahosoak of Barrow received recognition for his commitment as a volunteer funeral director who, well after a burial, will sit with families to help them through the grieving process.<\/p>\n
Morgan said when speaking with all of the volunteers during a luncheon before the ceremony, they all had one thing in common: none of them felt deserving. She said she didn\u2019t start any of this for the recognition, but it came at a time when she needed it most.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an odd feeling to have people say such nice things about you,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cThis heroin epidemic came upon us so fast and people are dealing with this often, sometimes I kind of get the push back with some of my efforts. But to have so many people show such support, it really kind of relit my fire and pushed me forward again. … It really makes you want to do more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Morgan said her next target audience for her outreach efforts will be Juneau\u2019s students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to save the next generation,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cWe all know this heroin epidemic is not discriminatory and not reserved for those who are bad or on the fringe of society. It\u2019s affecting our families.\u201d
To read about other volunteers recognized across Alaska, visit http:\/\/gov.alaska.gov\/newsroom\/2016\/05\/thirteen-alaskans-awarded-as-top-volunteers\/.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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