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Madalyn Sukke, right, winner of the 2023 Beacon Award, shakes hands with Detroit Lakes Chamber President Carrie Johnston during the annual Splash Awards at the Historic Holmes Theatre on Oct. 5, 2023. (Michael Achterling / KDLM)

7 Lakes area residents and organizations honored with 2023 Splash Awards from the DL Chamber

By Michael Achterling Oct 9, 2023 | 1:35 PM

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce highlighted seven different lakes area individuals and businesses with their annual Splash Awards Thursday evening, which showcased volunteers and initiatives that have gone above-and-beyond to promote their activities and the lakes area region this past year.

Carrie Johnston, president of the Chamber, said these awards are always special because people never set out to win them since they are recognized by their peers and nominated, and many of them never quite realize the magnitude of their help or influence until they were contacted as an award finalist.

“The beauty of this award is that people don’t know that they’ve been working to earn it,” said Johnston. “It’s not an award where you needed to check the boxes, it’s that someone else nominated and recognized how cool you are … and it can be as small as volunteering your time, or it could be that you came up with a really large fundraiser, or that you’ve been committed to something for years and years. It’s also not only individuals, but people that motivate others and organizations and businesses that really motivate their employees, their friends and family. They give back so much.”

Mike Labine, winner of the 2023 Accelerator Award, speaks during the annual Splash Awards at the Historic Holmes Theatre on Oct. 5, 2023. (Michael Achterling / KDLM)


Mark Bjerke, general manager of WE Fest and winner of the 2023 Wave Award, speaks during the annual Splash Awards at the Historic Holmes Theatre on Oct. 5, 2023. (Michael Achterling / KDLM)

The winners of 2023 Splash Awards were:

  • Mike Labine, who won the Accelerator Award for motivating community involvement as the founder of the lakes area local chapter of the YES Network, which prioritizes the social emotional needs of children and families.
  • A Place To Belong won the Ripple Award for the year’s best motivational and engaging nonprofit for their work as one of the first social clubs for adults living with mental illness.
  • Jay Estenson won the Skipper Award for leadership while using her cooking, hairstyling and leadership skills for the betterment of Frazee.
  • WE Fest won the Wave Award for promoting and investing in regional tourism through their annual country music festival.
  • Madalyn Sukke, who won the Beacon Award for long-standing volunteerism through the Let’s Go Fishing campaign and other community events.
  • Arvig, who won the Lighthouse Award for a business’s enduring commitment to the lakes area through their financial donations, scholarships and volunteerism.
  • And, Kyle Meacham, who won the Launch Award for volunteerism and willingness to serve that helps propel projects forward. 

Meacham volunteered at numerous local events over the past year and, following the award ceremony, said he didn’t volunteer expecting an award, he volunteered because he genuinely cares about the community and its events that are both fun and a draw for visitors or potential residents.

“I didn’t show up to these events to be awarded,” said Meacham. “I show up to these events because I like to be there and I like to show the community that I like to help. And I like meeting new people and seeing more people move into our city and show just how great our city is.”

Kyle Meacham, winner of the 2023 Launch Award, speaks during the annual Splash Awards at the Historic Holmes Theatre on Oct. 5, 2023. (Michael Achterling / KDLM)

He also said, if anyone is looking for a worthwhile experience, volunteer for just a few hours at a local event and just that short shift can really make a difference.

“We have all these groups of nonprofits and clubs in this community and each of them puts on a big special event,” he said. “All we need is for someone to show up for four hours and volunteer their time. You are just as equal as any other person whether they spent 40, or 80, or 800 hours, it doesn’t matter. It’s not about who can volunteer the most. It’s that you stepped up and you did your best. And that’s really what life is all about.”

For more information on the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce events and programs, check out their website at: visitdetroitlakes.com/chamber.

2023 Splash Awards are displayed on a table at the Historic Homes Theatre on Oct. 5, 2023. (Michael Achterling / KDLM)

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