Volume 2, Issue 2 JUNE 7, 2024
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Winner of ‘Survivor’ season 46 has local ties By Sharon Hallack
The Oceana Echo Community Contributor
Kenzie and Jackson Petty they didn’t think anything of it. Contestants compete as teams in the first part of the show and individually, as more and more contestants are voted off. According to Veurink, Kenzie won two individual immunity challenges. One involved standing on the top of a pole with one support step below. “She won that challenge, and I attribute it to all of the logs she climbed over at our family cottage on Lake Michigan,” Veurink said proudly. “Out of 46 seasons, only 17 women have won the competition,” said Rasmussen. “She’s (Kenzie) been watching and studying the show since she was 15 years old. When that little girl sets her mind to something, she goes after it,” he said. “I believe her personality and honesty are what won this for her. She
worked with and made friends with everyone. That and her speech at the end, paid off in the final episode.” Veurink shared that when Kenzie was named to the final three and each contestant was sharing what they would do with the money if they won, Veurink quoted Kenzie as saying, “To be completely honest, I am in this for me. I’m a small business owner, and I plan to invest this for my retirement so I don’t have to cut little girls bangs when I’m 70!” Petty is the owner of a salon in Charlotte, S.C. and her husband owns his own photography business. According to Rasmussen, the final episode was viewed live by an estimated 800 people on three, 24-foot screens. “It was in an area of Charlotte where many new businesses, owned by young people, are located,” said Veurink. “When they announced Kenzie was the winner, the place exploded,” Rasmussen said. Since being named the winner of Survivor 46, Kenzie has kept busy with various public appearances and celebrations. She’s had people recognize her on the street and has had fun signing autographs and taking selfies, but she is looking forward to her life returning to “normal,” Veurink shared. She also reported that her granddaughter and husband are looking forward to the next chapter in their lives. They recently announced they are expecting their first baby in September—a whole other form of “survival,” with its own challenges and rewards.
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The recently-named winner of “Survivor” Season 46, Mackenzie “Kenzie” (Veurink) Petty, of Charlotte, North Carolina, has family ties in Oceana County. Mackenzie, who went by “Kenzie” for the competition, was not only named the winner during the season’s finale May 22, but received $1 million as a result. She is the daughter of former Hart High School graduates, Shannon (Rasmussen) and Steve Veurink, and the granddaughter of current Hart residents Dick Rasmussen and Sally (and the late Gary) Veurink, along with Kathy Rasmussen of the Grand Traverse area. Veurink, who was single when filming for the show began in June 2023, was married to her husband, Jackson Petty, in September last year, which explains why she was referred to sometimes as Kenzie Veurink and sometimes as Kenzie Petty in the show. For those who are unfamiliar with this wildly popular reality series that has been airing since May 2000, Wikipedia provides this description: “Survivor places a group of people in an isolated location, where they must provide food, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants compete in challenges that include testing the contestants’ physical abilities like running and swimming or their mental abilities like puzzles and endurance challenges for rewards and
immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted out by their fellow contestants until only two or three remain. At that point, the contestants who were eliminated vote for the winner. Winners are given the title of ‘Sole Survivor’ and are awarded the grand prize of $1 million.” “We didn’t know anything about Kenzie being involved, (with the show) until her dad (Steve) called us in January (2024) and said there was going to be an announcement on the Survivor show that night and we might want to watch,” Kenzie’s grandmother, Sally Veurink told The Oceana Echo. “We’d never watched Survivor, so it took us about halfway through (the season) to figure out what was even going on,” Veurink said with a laugh. Once Kenzie was named a contestant, family and friends from Oceana County and Charlotte, S.C., were glued to their televisions every Wednesday watching the drama unfold. “I’ve watched Survivor since it started 24 years ago,” Rasmussen said. “We found out she’d won on the last episode like everyone else.” The contestants were announced in January, and the show started airing shortly after. However, all filming had already taken place six months prior in June of 2023. Veurink recalls Kenzie’s husband, Jackson, telling the family she was on a trip, which didn’t seem out of the ordinary to anyone at the time, so
By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Contributor From a field of over 500 nominations from across the state, Lakeside Comprehensive Rehab of 601 E. Main St. in Hart, was recently awarded one of the “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch” awards, presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business (MCSB) at a special ceremony in Lansing on May 21, 2024. Michigan Celebrates Small Business has been granting this award to small businesses for the past 20 years. Lakeside Comprehensive Rehab is the first Oceana County company to have ever received the designation. The entire Lakeside Rehab family organized a lunchtime congratulatory send-off parade through downtown Hart on Monday, May 20 for Deborah Windell, the owner of Lakeside, the day before the award ceremony in Lansing. “We are honored to receive this award!” said Deborah Windell, President and Owner of Lakeside Rehabilitation in a press release. “Lakeside Rehabilitation has been providing physical, occupational, aquatic, massage and speech ther-
apy to residents of Oceana County and beyond for over 20 years. Being selected as one of 50 Michigan Companies to Watch inspires us to provide the best service possible, keep growing and serve the community the best we can!” Windell, along with HEART (Hart Economic and Redevelopment Team) Director Nichole Kleiner and a group of Lakeside employees, were honored to attend the award ceremony at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Over 800 guests, representatives from Michigan’s Economic Development Corporation and the governor attended the event. “Your commitment to excellence, innovation, and service embodies what makes Michigan businesses thrive. Your team’s unwavering commitment to the community has made an invaluable impact on your customers, employees, and the state of Michigan,” read a letter to Windell from Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “The work that small businesses do grows our economy, creates opportunities for Michganders and makes our communities better places to live. I want you to know that Michigan has your back and we will keep doing everything we can to
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make our state the best place to do business.” According to a press release provided by MCSB, “Companies nominated for the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch Award must be second-stage companies, defined as having six to 99 full-time-equivalent employees and generating $750,000 to $50 million in annual revenue or working capital from investors or grants. Additionally, the companies must be privately held and headquartered in Michigan.” The complete list of Michigan 50 Companies to Watch honorees can be found at https:// michigancelebrates.org
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