40th Anniversary Amazing Raising Cash for Kids Race

In 1971, Walter Serkowney set his sights on starting a youth program that would keep the 13 boys he repeatedly encountered on his patrol as a harbour police officer, out of trouble. With the help of John Berry, a Law and Security Professor at Confederation College, he established Harbour Youth Services to provide a safe and constructive outlet for youth to focus on learning about accountability and the importance of helping others.

Although the program has evolved over the years, it is still working towards the same basic initiatives as it was 40 years ago. The goal of this project was to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the program and raise the profile of Harbour Youth Services. Loosely modeled after the popular TV show “Amazing Race,” the object of this competition was to challenge teams to raise money in order to enter the race. Competitors then had to decipher clues, solve puzzles, complete challenges and pass through checkpoints at various locations around Thunder Bay.

This event was more successful than the group had anticipated, and raised a generous contribution that will go towards the maintenance and running of the Harbour Youth Services programs. Funding and donations have become increasingly critical to this program in recent years, as major government funding was lost in 2002.