Mike Hurry leaving Big Brothers as king of the hill

Tara Jeffrey Though Mike Hurry is saying farewell to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sarnia-Lambton, he isn’t going far. “It’s not like I’m going to disappear,” the retiring executive director said with a laugh.

Tara Jeffrey

Though Mike Hurry is saying farewell to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sarnia-Lambton, he isn’t going far.

“It’s not like I’m going to disappear,” the retiring executive director said with a laugh.

“I’ll still be part of the agency in some capacity. And if they need me, I’m a phone call away.”

In fact, the 67-year-old is planning a post-pandemic cycle trip across Canada to raise funds for the agency, which he’s called home for more than 40 years.

“I want to leave them in as good as financial shape as I can,” he said, pointing to incoming executive director Kaylen Burgess, with whom he’s worked closely the past few years to ensure a smooth transition.

“I feel really good about her taking over, and my goal is to make sure the agency survives and continues to provide services for kids.”

Hurry joined Big Brothers as a caseworker in 1977 before taking over three years later. He steered the youth mentoring agency through a 2011 amalgamation with Big Sisters, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through his trademark fundraising treks around the globe.

“I certainly have big shoes to fill,” said Burgess, who has been with the agency 12 years. “He’s done a phenomenal job and he’s leaving a legacy in the community.”

Hurry has climbed some of the world’s highest peaks — along with dozens of adventure-seeking Sarnians and board member Dave Hill — first, with a 2009 trip to Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

“It was the beginning of a really great way to fundraise and connect with people,” Hurry said of his globetrotting adventures which raised $750,000 over the years, and included a 2016 trek to Mount Everest.

“There’s something about getting above the clouds, with the storms below you. And you can’t explain why you’re going back… it’s just one of those things you have to do.”

Last year, Hurry and Hill were eyeing a fundraising trip to Mount Denali when the pandemic struck — cancelling $200,000 worth of planned fundraising. Instead, the pair climbed the stairs of an 11-storey apartment building 200 times to duplicate the 20,310-foot peak, raising an impressive $53,000.

“Sarnia is amazing in its generosity — that’s what always stands out in my mind,” said Hurry. “And that’s what makes this community such a special place.”

Over the years, Hurry has been a Big Brother himself to five youth, including Brandon and Jamie, whom he and wife Deb took in as teenagers through a partnership with the Children’s Aid Society, and still live with today.

“They’ve enhanced our lives in so many ways,” Hurry said of the young men, who went from never having been across the Blue Water Bridge, to travelling the globe and building homes in the slums of Haiti.

Jamie, 22, is now a Big Brother himself, sharing a 14-year-old match with Hurry.

“So, he has the best of both worlds,” Hurry laughed. “He gets to play videogames with Jamie, but also has this old guy for advice or go canoeing with.

“The nice thing about being a Big Brother or Big Sister is it keeps you young and gives you the opportunity to do things you probably wouldn’t do otherwise.”

In an interview with the agency, Jamie said the Hurrys have taught him a strong work ethic and ‘how to deal with life.’

“They took a chance and I am so thankful,” he said. “You become who you are around, and I am proud to become more like them.”

Brandon is planning to join Hurry on his upcoming cycling tour.

Spending more time with family, learning to speak Spanish, and maybe writing a book, are a few things on Hurry’s retirement to-do list.

Burgess, meanwhile, is looking forward to continuing his legacy.

“I’m certainly ready for it, and looking forward to this next chapter,” said the mother of three, born and raised in St. Clair Township.

Meeting the complex needs of youth — especially during a pandemic — has been the biggest challenge, she said.

“I just have such a strong belief in what we do… in the results that we get and the relationships that are formed and what it does for youth in our community.

“Mike has done such a great job and he’s going to be missed.

“I’m really hoping to make him proud.”