This annual award administered by Parachute, Canada’s national charity dedicated to injury prevention, honours a Canadian high school student who best exemplifies the spirit, drive and optimism of Stacey Levitt, a Toronto teen killed by a motor vehicle driver.

May 16, 2022 – A P.E.I. teen is this year’s recipient of the Stacey Levitt Memorial Award, being awarded for the final time in 2022.

Mairi Brydon, 18, of New Haven, P.E.I., says that she is “honoured to be selected as the recipient of the Stacey Levitt Memorial Award, and extend my heartfelt thanks to the Levitt family and Parachute. I will be using these funds towards my tuition for the Engineering Program at Memorial University of Newfoundland. This support will allow me to focus more on my studies and on connecting with a new community through volunteering.”

This year saw 420 applications from 10 provinces for the award, which encourages Canadian youth to embody Stacey Levitt’s qualities and ideals and Parachute’s overarching goal of a long life lived to the fullest, while maintaining an approach that is rooted in risk management and injury prevention.

Ned Levitt, Stacey’s father, said that what stands out for their family is the fact “the applicants find time in their incredibly busy lives to give back to others and to contribute to their communities. Our choice for the final award in 2022 is Mairi Brydon, for these reasons and because injury prevention is in her DNA, having been brought up in a family immersed in injury prevention pursuits.”

In Mairi’s award application, she noted her mother was a provincial representative for the IWK Child Safety Link and that she grew up “to view the world through an injury prevention lens … my upbringing that championed injury prevention also introduced me to the concept of safe risks and gave me a sense that I have the ability to influence outcome.”

Among Mairi’s many accomplishments:

  • Drummer with the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts for eight years.
  • Member of her school volleyball team
  • Leader with Step Up Group, a student-led organization that supports individuals in need in the community
  • Volunteer at a local seniors’ home
  • Volunteer at the P.E.I. Humane Society
  • Recipient of a silver Duke of Edinburgh Award
  • Participant in Experiences Canada leadership program

The Levitt family has awarded $2,500 to help the winning student live their life to the fullest. The award may be put toward an educational endeavour, engagement in sports, or investment in a travel experience – all pursuits that would have resonated with Stacey Levitt. 

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For more information or to arrange interviews with Mairi, please contact:

Kelley Teahen, Vice President, Communications and Marketing, Parachute 

416 886-0950 or media@parachute.ca


About Stacey Levitt
Stacey Levitt was born May 19, 1977 at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. She attended Allenby Public School, Glenview Senior Public School and Northern Secondary School. Stacey had a wide variety of interests and lived a busy and active life while growing up in North Toronto with her family – her parents Ned and Cheryl, her sisters Marni and Jacqueline, and many special and close friends.

On Aug. 30, 1995,18-year-old Stacey was struck and killed by the driver of a motor vehicle while she was jogging in her Toronto neighbourhood.

About Parachute
Parachute is Canada’s national charity dedicated to reducing the devastating impact of preventable injuries. Injury is the No. 1 killer of Canadians aged 1 to 44 and the financial toll is staggering, with injury costing the Canadian economy $29.4 billion a year. Through education and advocacy, Parachute is working to save lives and create a Canada free of serious injuries. For more information, visit us at parachute.ca and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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