Messages of love and admiration continue to pour in for a local ‘community powerhouse’ who dedicated his life to helping others, especially the most vulnerable.

Mike Letwin, 42, died suddenly at his home in Belleville on Monday.

“Mike was a community powerhouse,” said Lisa-Anne Chatten, his best friend of 23-years.  “He helped many who were on the wrong path to find the right path through his work and was truly the definition of a servant leader.”

Letwin carried a deep belief in the goodness of mankind and a love for God, she said.

“He has left a Mike-sized hole in the hearts of every person who ever had the chance to know him,” she said.  “This community has lost someone who was truly an advocate and champion for the less fortunate.”

At 42 years young, Letwin had a community activism resume to be revered.

Letwin was the Past Board President and an active volunteer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, chair of Quinte Crime Stoppers, Children's Safety Village volunteer, and vice-chair for the Enrichment Centre for Mental Health.  He was a decades-long member of the Belleville Planning Committee and a Lions Club member for Belleville District.

He was a volunteer for Food for Learning, Quinte Vitality and Social Support, and Volunteer and Information Quinte; he ran bingo for charities and was an Ontario Minor Hockey Association referee.  He was a candidate for Belleville City Council in 2006 and 2014, following in the footsteps of his late father and former Tweed councillor Mike Sr. Letwin.   

He worked for the Morningstar Mission in Napanee last year, switching from his 19-year career as a Parole Officer to taking the Paralegal course at Loyalist, graduating in 2019.

Letwin treated others how he wanted to be treated and changed the world around him for the better, by using charities as a vehicle, Chatten said, noting his charity and parole work gave him a direct path in helping to gently guide people to something better.

“He didn’t want people to be cold, hungry, alone, sad, targeted, abused, violated,” she explained. “He did it because it was the right thing to do, a duty that comes with being a human being."

Letwin was also a notorious comedian from high school well into his adult years, Chatten offered.  His last comedic venture was recently at Slapshots where they were raising some much-needed funding for the Grace Inn Homeless Shelter alongside Mickey Delaney.  Letwin also braved cold temperatures in the 2019 Sleep Out So Others Can Sleep In event to raise funds and awareness for the Enrichment Centre For Mental Health's transitional homes in Belleville.

“He was a good fun guy to have around,” said Bay of Quinte MPP and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Todd Smith.  “He always had a huge smile, always had a laugh, was always in a good mood and gave so much to the community.”

Some of Smith’s fondest memories of Letwin are at Ribfest (BBBS marquee fundraising event) along with walking together in Walk A Mile in Her Shoes against violence against women.

When the Foxboro community was flooded in 2017, it was Letwin, Smith said, who hosted the community fundraiser to raise money for those who were impacted.

“He was just a guy with a huge heart,” he said.

His younger sister Hali Letwin said the outpouring of support and stories from the community has been overwhelming and very touching.

“People are saying they were in such a dark place and Mike brought them out of it,” she said.  “It is just so touching to read.  He impacted so many people and changed a lot of people’s lives.”

It was a unique gift that just came naturally to her brother, she said.

Right from a young age, she said her brother was a kindhearted, natural helper who knew the value of hard work as he gladly lent a hand with their parent’s landscaping business.

She said Letwin joined BBBS as a big brother in his early 20s with a desire to make a difference.

“I don’t think he went out thinking I’m going to change lives today,” she explained.  “He just did.  It was just who he was.  It was his personality. His impact went further than he would ever have expected and it’s incredible.  We are very proud of him and what he did."

Donations can be made in Letwin's memory to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, which was the charity that was closest to his heart.