Shaker Junior High School seventh grader Mackenzie Hunter was honored as the North Colonie Kids Care recipient for February at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Feb. 24. Mackenzie was nominated by her swim coach, Coach Leslie Archer. In January, Mackenzie and her teammates on the modified swim team participated in a one mile swim at Shaker High School to raise money for cystic fibrosis research. Mackenzie raised $945 from family and friends, making her the top fundraiser in the team’s history. The swim team raised a total of $2,200.
“This swim was important to me because a lot of kids with cystic fibrosis can’t just get in a pool and swim and I love that I was able to give back to them and help them,” Mackenzie said. “I’m proud that I was able to swim for everyone who donated and my whole team was proud to swim for the kids with cystic fibrosis.”
Before the swim began, Mackenzie wrote a variety of words and phrases on her back as motivation. Those words and phrases were requested by her family and friends when they donated and kept Mackenzie going as she swam 72 lengths of the pool.