Guarding the state’s 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’s efforts to guard her community sinking deeper into a heroin epidemic.
Walker honored Michele Stuart Morgan, the founder of the grassroots group “Juneau – Stop Heroin, Start Talking,” during the First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year award ceremony Wednesday at the Governor’s Mansion. Twelve other volunteers from across the state were honored who as varied in their causes — serving the disabled and housing the homeless — as they were in their ages — 12 to 81.
“… When we’re dealing with this financial crunch that we’re 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,” Walker said, standing before the ceremony guests which included legislators and the award winners, and their families and friends.
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.
“Our community was completely saturated with this horrible drug and deaths,” Morgan said, after the ceremony. “It 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.”
The First Lady’s 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 Muñoz also thew Morgan’s 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.
“Michele’s selfless devotion to community and her profound care for others are priceless contributions to our community,” Muñoz wrote. “As a mother and friend, she saw a need and had the courage to take it head-on.”
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’t wait for some government entity to do something first.
“All this happens without any involvement of government, this all happens with the involvement of people helping people, and that’s really what makes Alaska great,” Walker said.
Also from the Southeast, 12-year-old Tessa Salazar of Ketchikan earned her volunteer award for the “Kids’ Cookies for a Cause” fundraiser she started that has raised almost $40,000 for different organizations in her hometown.
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.
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’t start any of this for the recognition, but it came at a time when she needed it most.
“It’s an odd feeling to have people say such nice things about you,” Morgan said. “This 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.”
Morgan said her next target audience for her outreach efforts will be Juneau’s students.
“We want to save the next generation,” Morgan said. “We all know this heroin epidemic is not discriminatory and not reserved for those who are bad or on the fringe of society. It’s affecting our families.”
To read about other volunteers recognized across Alaska, visit http://gov.alaska.gov/newsroom/2016/05/thirteen-alaskans-awarded-as-top-volunteers/.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
