Death notice for Mike Russell, who passed away on March 20, 2025.
Mike was a member of the Advisory Crime Council from its inception in February 2019, attending almost every meeting up until his passing. The last meeting he attended was December 6 th, 2024. At this meeting, Mike proudly announced that Rotary was offering tutoring at the Bahamas Department of Corrections. He also announced that the Violence Interrupters Program was ongoing. You see, it was Mike and his team from Rotary who organized the Cure Violence Team from Chicago to host a conference here at the New Providence Community Center on January 14th, 2014. Mike had a knack for follow-through. His unwavering commitment was unmatched. Once he deemed something important, he stuck with it, no matter what. He could easily be dubbed ‘the quiet storm’.
When I contacted him on March 6th to invite him to our March 7 th meeting, he said “Keva, I’ve had two procedures. I’m not feeling well, but if I feel up to it on that day, I’ll definitely be there.” This was Mike – always dependable and supportive. He always answered our calls and responded to every email sent. He understood full well the importance of partnership to evoke change. He was well-informed, as he was an active Rotarian and quite involved in numerous community efforts, always updating the Council on such.
Mike was on the Rotary’s Road to Peace Committee and eventually became the Chairman. As such, he extended an invitation for me to attend the Rotary Road to Peace Conference on Saturday February 15th, 2020 at Salem Union Baptist Church, which I did. I was very appr appreciative as the keynote speaker was Dr. Gary Slutkin of the Cure Violence Program. Dr. Slutkin is responsible for coining the idea of violence as a contagious health epidemic. Another speaker at this conference was David Lockett of the PACT program in Canada. Mike and his fellow Rotarians were successful in implementing the PACT program here in the Bahamas, assigning at-risk youth with mentors in Canada. He was very proud of this initiative. As a follow-up to this conference, Rotary held its 3rd Annual Peace Conference, via Zoom, on Saturday September 19, 2020. The theme of this conference was Vaccine Against Violence. Mike invited me to be on the Panel for discussion. I complied and was again grateful for an opportunity to share my research.
When I published my children’s books, Adventures with Kohen: Coronavirus Changes Everything and Adventures with Kohen: Fun on the Farm, Mike was one of the first of my professional colleagues to purchase copies. True to form, he invited me to have a booth to sell my books at the Rotary’s Fun Run/Walk, held on Saturday September 10, 2022. I obliged and as a result, made many contacts. He was always trying to push me to ‘think big’.
A few years ago, Mike invited Dr. David Allen and I to present our Family: People Helping People Program at a Rotary conference held at the University of the Bahamas. As The Family Program is a community initiative which offers free group therapy in marginalized communities, the data presented was well-received. More recently, on Friday February 16th, 2024, Mike again invited Dr. Allen and I to present, this time at his Rotary Club of East Nassau monthly meeting. Our presentation, titled A Hurt Child is a Dangerous Adult, was wellreceived by Mike and and his fellow Rotarians. Mike lived out his Rotary’s motto of SERVICE ABOVE SELF! He and his fellow Rotarians were instrumental in providing relief to residents affected by Hurricane Dorian, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mike was a gentleman. He was easy to get along with, yet professional. He had a pleasant demeanor and his presence will certainly be missed at our Crime Council meetings. I am grateful that Dr. Allen and I always made sure to thank him for his unwavering support of our efforts.
On behalf of Dr. David Allen, Chairman of the Advisory Crime Council of the Ministry of National Security, myself and all the members of the Council, we extend our deepest sympathy to the family of Mike Russell, as well as his fellow Rotarians. May his soul Rest in Peace!
