An Important Announcement from Mackie's Place

Dear Mackie’s Place Community,

I am writing to let you know about an important change on the horizon for Mackie’s Place. Our beloved Executive Director, Bobbi-Rhea Mackie, has resigned her position as Executive Director as of June 30, 2024. Below is a personal message from Bobbi-Rhea to all of you who have been part of this seven+ year journey of bringing Mackie’s Place to life, giving your time, your expertise, and your financial support. Because of Bobbi-Rhea’s leadership and the incredible community that gathered around her vision, Mackie’s Place is making a difference in the lives of so many vulnerable and at-risk youth through our brand new, youth-led Bistro, and our programs that help youth build positive peer and mentor relationships, employability skills, and life skills.

As a Board of Directors, we will greatly miss Bobbi-Rhea’s caring and inspiring presence as an Executive Director. We are very grateful for the wonderful staff she has hired, the solid foundation she has built, the many organizational processes in place, and the creation of an exciting strategic plan for the next phase of our growth.

Our next very important task will be to hire a new Executive Director. We have a hiring committee in place and are working with staff to ensure all aspects of her role are cared for as we go through this process. We have the space over the next couple of months, due to Bobbi-Rhea’s careful planning, to ensure the process of hiring is comprehensive and thoughtful. We are also especially grateful for the leadership of Favian Kleine, Director of Care, and Sylvia Shury, Director of Philanthropy, during this time of transition.

Happily, Bobbi-Rhea, will always be one of the Mackie’s Place Founders, an integral part of our history, and someone who will always have Mackie’s Place in her heart.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Franklin

Chair, Board of Directors

After seven plus years of Leading as a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mackie’s Place, and almost eleven years since the big beautiful vision of Mackie’s Place was planted in our hearts, June 30, 2024 will be my last day.

It has been one of the greatest privileges in my life to serve and build Mackie’s Place alongside my brilliant and heart-centred founding partners, team members, volunteers, donors and incredible board. Mackie’s Place was born out of a vision deep within our hearts. There has never been a day that my work felt like a job, as it was always a calling that pressed us all forward even during the most challenging of days. The responsibility of being a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Mackie's Place is not one taken lightly. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done, offering a safe, low-barrier second home for young people to come and be seen, loved, and offered opportunities to begin to dream for their lives while being equipped with the skills to attain their dreams, surrounded by a healthy community to help them thrive.

Over the last two and a half years we have been diligently working to open our new home. And… this year, we DID IT!! Together with the community, we opened our doors to our new beautiful youth-led bistro and HQ in March. It is bustling and filled to the brim with kids who are seeing hope for their future. Kids who are beginning to give back to their community, and building healthy and reciprocal relationships.

Pioneering is not for the faint of heart, and I am grateful for all of the change makers and risk takers who have joined our family to see kids in our community cared for. The vision of Mackie’s Place is and will forever be written on my heart. Although I am moving forward into a new season, I will forever live out this vision in my life. Until I take my last breath, I will continue sharing with whoever will listen - that if we all took time to love one, together we could be world changers.

If you know me, you know that I love to build. As a ‘hummingbird’ (as my team refers to me as), I never stop moving and am always moving forward. Since the inception of Mackie’s Place, it has been my greatest desire to build a firm structural foundation that would carry the organization forward long after one or more of the founding team moved on. I am so proud to have led Mackie's Place to where we are today. We have a clear strategic plan in place and systems, processes, and controls that rival large organizations. Mackie’s Pie Club just launched its new Corporate Partnerships and we are sincerely grateful for the new partnerships blossoming in our city. Lastly, but most certainly not least, I could not be more proud of our exceptional team, each of whom are committed to carry Mackie's Place forward in its mission.

For all of these reasons, I feel confident that Mackie’s Place is ready to welcome a new leader to take the helm.

I am a big fan of dreaming, and I still have so many dreams left on my bucket list. I am excited to embrace this new season of finding and pursuing my next adventure. After 10 years of life in the non-profit fast lane, I am going to take a breath, loosen my relationship with my phone (we’re not divorcing, we’re just ‘on a break’), and spend some time letting the sun shine on my face and rest with my family for a moment. Being a hummingbird by nature means I won’t be still for long.

And…you can still expect to see me behind the bar working a shift alongside our amazing crew, making the best grilled cheese and tomato soup in town.

Until we meet again, and with so much love and gratitude,

Bobbi-Rhea Mackie

If you have any questions or concerns about this transition, please reach out to the person you are most closely connected with at Mackie's Place and we'd be happy to speak with you!

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