First annual ‘Foundation Game’ set in Mackenzie Forrest’s honor
LAKEWOOD, Colo. — When Lakewood High School basketball star Mackenzie Forrest tragically died in a car accident in 2016, her family looked for ways to turn their grief into something positive for the community, something they said Mackenzie would have wanted if she could have her say.
That’s the purpose of the Hustle & Heart 33 organization. Hustle, meaning Mackenzie’s tenacity and passion on the basketball court, heart for her enormous capacity for compassion and 33 being her high school jersey number.
On Nov. 20, the first annual Kindness Matters Foundation Game, or games, will be played at Lakewood High School between four girls basketball programs. All the proceeds from the event will go to raising money for scholarships for students in Jefferson County schools, among other initiatives.
Holger Forrest, Mackenzie’s father, said she lived her life with extreme love and kindness, and he wanted to continue to share that kindness with the world.
“One of her very core strengths was kindness, because she had a very strong faith,” Holger said. “She volunteered in a soup kitchen and an orphanage. And then she also volunteered and worked for (former Denver Nuggets player) Bill Hanzlik who started the Gold Crown Foundation. In the summertime, she worked with the kids who had special needs and played basketball, and she helped with summer camps.”
On Nov. 20, Green Mountain will take on Ralston Valley at 3 p.m., followed by D’Evelyn and Lakewood at 5 p.m. The event is free with donations accepted. The games won’t affect the team’s official records or rankings. Along with the online auction, there will be a live auction between the two games. The auctions will be selling items like signed memorabilia from NFL, NBA and WNBA stars, with the help of 104.3 The Fan promoting the event.
Building the foundation
The Gold Crown Foundation (GCF), founded in 1986 by Hanzlik and Ray Baker, offers boys and girls basketball, volleyball, golf and enrichment programs to more than 15,000 youth annually. GCF offers camps, clinics, leagues and tournaments for 6 to 20-year-olds in Colorado and surrounding states, according to their website. Mackenzie grew up playing basketball there and volunteered in her free time.
Hanzlik took a liking to Mackenzie and took her under his wing, Holger said. After she passed, the Forrest family decided to donate everything they had received in lieu of flowers to the GCF, based on what Mackenzie would have wanted.
“And then Gold Crown said, ‘Well look, why don’t we do something in memory of Mackenzie. We had this beginning of the season basketball tournament that starts up in the November time frame and we’ll give out a Hustle & Heart award,’” Holger said.
Thus, the Hustle & Heart Award and scholarship was born, which quickly turned into the Hustle & Heart 33 organization. For the past two years, the organization has given scholarships to Jefferson County student-athletes that display both hustle and heart on and off the court. To be considered, students write an essay and are recommended by teachers and coaches.
Leaving a legacy
Mackenzie, a 5-foot-6 point guard, had a highly decorated high school career. She notched a whopping 1,247 points in her high school career and shot her number, 33%, from the three-point line.
In the 2015-16 season, the Forrest-led Tigers finished 21-5 after losing to Thunder Ridge, who would go on to win the state title.
Autumn Sereno is the assistant principal and athletic director at Green Mountain High School, but she also coached Mackenzie on her travel team. Sereno said playing basketball is the most fitting way to celebrate Mackenzie and her legacy.
“She was a pretty humble kid, and that was kind of the most amazing part about her,” Sereno said. “She could grind. She worked so hard. She had the ability to change a game, herself. I remember multiple games we played that she turned it around just with her energy, her focus, her want, her need to win. She’d want to be out there.”
As spectacular as Mackenzie was on the court, her legacy off the court is even more impressive, her father said. She was deeply compassionate, strong as a rock in her faith and able to empathize with any stranger.
With several Division I offers very early on in her high school career, Mackenzie opted to attend Regis University in Denver, where Holger said she fell in love upon seeing the church there and meeting with the coaching staff. Her number 33 is retired at Regis currently and Mackenzie has her own locker at the school.
Because of her spirit, the Hustle & Heart scholarships aren’t necessarily only for student-athletes, but remarkable students in one capacity or the other.
Picking the number 33 meant more to Mackenzie than just emulating Larry Bird or Scottie Pippen or any other legend that graced the number on their back. Holger mentioned the significance of the number biblically and that Mackenzie chose that number for a reason.
Holger said he sees the number everywhere, and he hopes to raise $33,333 in the foundation game’s first annual event. More information can be found at http://hustleandheart33.com/fundraiser-game and those that can’t make the event are encouraged to learn more about the foundation. Additionally, “Hustle + Heart Will Set You Apart” wristbands can be purchased on the website.
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