The Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County has selected three local representatives to participate in their local Youth of the Year program. Blaye Davis, Emily Jenkins and Katelyn Whicker have been selected for exemplifying leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle. On Saturday, Feb. 20, these outstanding teens will share their stories, applications and speeches to a panel of community leaders, and the individual who most inspires will be selected to represent Elizabethton and Carter County in the state competition.
Participating in this event is a dynamic experience for the youth. By the time of the local event, these three teens will have completed an application, written three essays and worked diligently with Club staff to hone their public speaking and interview skills. “These teens have given it their all. Not only do they embody what the Club experience is about, but they are active and engaged in their own school and at the Club. For them to take the time and energy to prepare and compete is impressive to say the least and will provide them life skills that will help them as they continue their journey to success,” explained Ginny Wright, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County.
For nearly 70 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America have honored and celebrated the nation’s most inspiring teens and their incredible journeys through the Youth of the Year program. Thousands participate in local, state and regional Youth of the Year events with six teens advancing to Washington, D.C. for the national competition. State and regional representatives will receive scholarships, but the individual selected as the National Youth of the Year will receive an additional scholarship of $25,000, renewable each year up to $100,000 and will have the opportunity to meet the president of the United States in the White House. This outstanding young person will become Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national teen spokesperson. They are a role model, leader and advocate for the nearly 4 million youth served by Boys & Girls Clubs each year, and they are proof to the impact Clubs make in transforming and saving kids’ lives.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year recognition program is presented by Disney, who has supported BGCA for more than 50 years, empowering young people to reach their full potential and providing youth with access to the tools they need to build the great futures they imagine. Toyota, the Signature Sponsor of Youth of the Year, is committed to helping improve the quality of life in our communities, and has demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring youth have access to a quality education. Additional support is provided by University of Phoenix, a national education partner that has joined with BGCA to impact academic success among youth across the country, and the Taco Bell Foundation, BGCA’s premier partner for teen empowerment.
For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit http://www.youthoftheyear.org.
About the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County
The Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County enables all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens by providing a quality out-of-school experience and promoting healthy lifestyles, academic success and good character and citizenship. We equip every child who walks through our doors to reach their own great future, turning no one away based on inability to pay. In doing so, we are making a long-lasting impact on the community and are changing the opportunity equation for everyone in it.