Boys & Girls Club's Youth of the Year Event is January 28th

As the Youth of the Year competition for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota draws near, four amazing young people are preparing to share their story of how the Club has helped shape their character and guided their paths to a better future.  Join us for an inspiring morning on Saturday, January 28th, starting at 9 a.m. at the Eastside Boys & Girls Club unit, 320 Raymond Avenue NE, St. Cloud. Guests will hear from Madison KIDSTOP junior volunteer Andrew Guettler, Southside member Cham Odol, Roosevelt member Kameren Steven and Eastside member Kendyll Spells (Please click the image above to view a Youth of the Year program to read more about our youth and for a schedule of events).

A panel of five judges, including Eric Reisinger, U.S. Bank, Vice President and Boys & Girls Club board member; Matt Nikodym, UBS Financial Services, Vice President, Investments and Boys & Girls Club board member; Julia Espe, Dist. 742 Schools Assistant Superintendent; Pastor Willie McAfee, NuWay Missionary Baptist Church; and John Fale, Senior Principal Research Mechanical Engineer at DeZurik, Inc., will interview each of the youth after reviewing their packets and listening to their speeches. The youth selected as Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota’s Youth of the Year will go on to compete at the state level in the Twin Cities on March 21, 2012.

Each of the four Youth of the Year finalists will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Windfeldt Family Scholarship Fund. The winner of the Central Minnesota Youth of the Year title for 2012 will receive a $2,000 scholarship from the Windfeldt Family Scholarship Fund, as well as a $500 scholarship and $250 towards state competition expenses from the Cheryl Lightle and Wade Skaja Scholarship Fund.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier youth recognition program promotes and celebrates Club members’ service to Club, community and family; academic performance; spiritual values; life goals and poise and public speaking ability. Local Clubs recognize Youths of the Month and select a Youth of the Year, who then participates in state competition. State winners participate in regional competition. Five regional winners each receive a $5,000 scholarship and compete on the national level. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $10,000 scholarship and is installed by the President of the United States. The Youth of the Year Program is sponsored nationally by Reader’s Digest Foundation.

For more information on the important programs the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota provides, please visit our website: www.bgcmn.org.