FORMER ADDICT WINS EXCELLENCE AWARD

23-Year-Old Managed To Turn Her Life Around And Begin Contributing To
The Community

EDMONTON - Nearly losing her son to social services three years ago
gave Mary Veoletta Zack, a recovering methamphetamine addict, the
push she needed to get clean and go back to school.

Now the 23-year-old from Edson is the recipient of a $16,000
provincial millennium excellence award.

Alberta's recipients were presented with the award by Lt.-Gov. Norman
Kwong at a ceremony Wednesday. Twenty-four students in Alberta won
the provincial honour, with another nine winning national awards and
70 winning local awards.

The scholarships, given yearly by the Canadian Millennium Scholarship
Foundation, are awarded to students who have demonstrated leadership,
community involvement and academic achievement.

This year, about 1,050 students across Canada were chosen from more
than 9,000 applicants.

Since Zack quit using meth two and a half years ago, she has been
involved with the Edson and District Drug Action Coalition, helping
other addicts to get clean.

She is also an advocate for drug prevention and speaks to high school
students about her experiences.

Zack started using meth when she was 14. She quit using the drug in
her late teens when she became pregnant with her son, Gavin, but
three months after his birth, she relapsed.

"I don't think I went more than a day without being high for a lot of
years," said Zack, who has two other step-children now, 14 and 12.

"I was at home 24 hours a day with my kids, but I didn't spend any
time with them. I was usually in the back getting high."

But three weeks before Christmas, when her son was a year and half, a
social worker came to her door and threatened to take the toddler
away. The scare was a wake-up call for Zack and her boyfriend, who
immediately started the path to recovery.

"I haven't touched it since that day," Zack said. Her boyfriend quit
a month later.

Once she was clean, Zack enrolled in NorQuest College for academic
upgrading, from which she graduated last week.

She said winning the award is an honour which shows addicts can turn
their lives around.

"It's being recognized that I'm actually moving forward," Zack said.

"It's such a unique feeling because I went from being an addict to
being someone who can make a difference."

Zack said her work with students has inspired her to become a science
teacher, and this fall she will be attending the University of
Alberta, majoring in biological science.