May 14, 2023 5p
(WGTD)---Scrubbing a kitchen floor in a home for troubled youth might not seem like anybody’s idea of a good time. But for Byron Wright and a teenager he was working with the experience was memorable in a positive way.
As a counselor and eventually director of Kenosha Human Development Services, Wright was responsible for helping hundreds of young people and pionered the transitional living concept in Kenosha.
Wright was one of two recipients of this year’s “Bryan Albrecht Living Legend Award” that was handed out last week at the Mahone Fund's Reaching for Rainbows “Pursuit of Excellence” dinner.
In a recent appearance on WGTD’s Morning Show, Wright cited the kitchen floor episode as an example of what it takes at times to build connections with troubled young people. "I had a kid in shelter once who was disgusted with the kitchen floor," Wright explained. "So he and I got down on our hands and knees on a Saturday morning and scrubbed that floor for about two-and-a-half hours," he said.
"At the end of that--he was about 13 or 14--he looked at me and says 'This has been the best morning of my life.' And it was because he was contributing---being part of something---and spending time with someone and having someone's undivided attention. It was a wonderful morning."
Wright--who has since retired--noted that the first kids he counseled are now in their 50s.
This year's other ‘Living Legend Award’ winner was Kenosha Alderman Anthony Kennedy. He was honored for his passion in support of the community’s vulnerable population.
Click here for Kennedy's appearance on The Morning Show.
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