WENATCHEE — A group of local women who do random acts of kindness has teamed up with the Wenatchee Wild hockey team and Wenatchee Police Department to collect reward money to help solve the Mackenzie Cowell homicide case.

Before tonight’s Wild’s hockey game against the Texas Tornadoes at the Town Toyota Center, Cowell’s friends will be collecting money for a reward that leads to the arrest and conviction of whomever killed the 17-year-old Wenatchee High School student.

Julie Gregory of Sunnyslope has been a longtime family friend of the Cowell family, she said Thursday.

“This is something good we can do for a really heartbreaking situation,” Gregory said.

Terri Morris, Gregory’s friend who wanted to help with the effort, said Mackenzie’s friends will walk around with collection buckets before the game.

She said Home Depot in Wenatchee donated the buckets and Mid Valley Printing of Cashmere donated the T-shirts the girls will be wearing.

Jeremy Anders, who handles ticket and corporate sales for the Wenatchee Wild, said the organization plans a moment of silence just prior to the game’s 7:05 p.m. start time to honor Mackenzie’s memory.

Gregory said that if the reward fund isn’t used for some reason, then the money will either go to the Cowell family to help with funeral expenses, or to a scholarship in Mackenzie’s name. Anyone who does not attend the game but wishes to donate to the Mackenzie Cowell Reward Fund can make donations to Bank of America.

Capt. Doug Jones with the Wenatchee Police Department said the department will honor the reward fund, but won’t be in charge of the money.

He said the department asked that two signatures be required for any transactions involving the funds, other than deposits.

Gregory said Wendy Cowell, Mackenzie’s mother, will be in charge of selecting who the two signatures will come from.

“We just want to make sure that a check-and-balance system is in place to guarantee that the money is there when it’s time to give the reward,” Jones said.

He said reward offerings have been a good incentive in the past and usually increase the number of tips received.

“People do need to be aware that the information provided must lead to a conviction,” Jones said. “So it could take years before they actually get the money.”

The North Central Washington Association of Realtors has established a fund to help Cowell’s family pay for funeral expenses.

Checks can be made payable to the Mackenzie Cowell Memorial Fund and dropped off at any Wells Fargo Bank, according to Mary Hull-Drury, executive officer of the association.

Wendy Cowell is a local Realtor.

For more information, call the association at 663-1211.

Michele Mihalovich: 665-1188

mihalovich@wenatcheeworld.com