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The finalists for St. Cloud Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year, with the selection judges. PHOTO/MING HENRY
The St. Cloud Boys and Girls Club, hosted its inaugural Youth of the Year ceremony Sept. 23. The goal is to honor four exceptional young ladies who have worked as leaders and volunteers in their community.
Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive. The teen selected will compete in the B&GCCF organizational “Youth of Year” competition. If the youth is selected as the overall winner, they will compete in the BGCA’S YOY State of Florida competition and have an opportunity to win BGCA a regional YOY award and be in the running the “National Youth of the Year” BGCA competition.
For more than 75 years, the Youth of the Year program has recognized young people for their outstanding leadership, service, academic excellence, and dedication to health and wellbeing, according to BGCA.org.
“These are future leaders,” Alex C. Lindsay, St. Cloud Club Director and former Youth of the Year winner, said. “They’re young ladies with a great future who lead by example. They do that at school, they do it home, not just at the Boys and Girls club.”
(Editor's note: due to child protection laws, the club cannot authorize us to use the contestants’ full names.)
“In a sense of confidence,” K. Torres responded, “knowing you’re a leader is important but knowing you have to be one is a little bit bigger, bigger than myself.”
The four finalists: Torres of St. Cloud High School, A. Marcano of Digital Academy of Florida, E. Pujols of Harmony High School, and A. Douglas of Tohopekaliga High School made the finals as outstanding academic leaders who lead by example. Their volunteer work includes activities with younger children under their guidance and volunteering with the St. Cloud Police Department, Florida Highway Patrol and Disney.
“[A leader] is someone who can be organized, assertive, delegate responsibility and hold others and themselves accountable.” Pujols said. “I feel like I’ve grown to be a leader. I’ve been able to exercise my leadership, and (Alex) Lindsay has taught me a lot.”
Each finalist was judged on communication, public speaking, leadership, and academic achievement, using essays, letters of recommendation, speeches, and an interview with the judges.
“Lindsay teaches us everything we need to know,” Marcano said, “I learned a lot of life skills, it made me the woman who I want to be for the future.”
“For me, being a leader is a way to take charge but it’s not all about you. You have to listen to what other people have to say.” Douglas, who’s been accepted to Valencia College, said.
At the end, certificates were given to each of the judges by the finalists as a way of showing gratitude.
“These individuals give us hope for a bright future. They were excellent. They care about their community and they recognize that it takes the support of their parents and leaders,” said Club ambassador and finals judge Rayelynne Ketchum. She was joined by judges former school board member Robert Bass, Ford Insurance’s Cindy Campbell, St. Cloud Police Chief Doug Goerke and Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital Vice President Brian Wetzel.
From the time of their opening to now, the club has enrolled about 100 students with an average attendance of around 40 everyday. Lindsay stated that their first summer camp was completely full.
“There’s a need here,” he said. “We love our community. They’ve embraced us…we all work towards one goal and that’s to serve the community in a positive way.”
The club works with students to ensure that their personal career and goals are understood and met by working with community partners to help foster and support their growth and development in anything that these children wish to do. The club’s after school programs focus on: education, tech, sports, arts, and leadership with specialty programs that focus on history, culture, and community.
“It doesn’t matter the size of the club, it matters the commitment. It’s not about us, it’s about making sure the kids have a positive experience,” Lindsay stated. “One of my phrases is, ‘Take that bookbag off, let’s get your homework done, and let’s go have some fun.’” The St. Cloud Boys and Girls Club (321-805-4014) is located at 1001 Virginia Avenue across from Cannery Park.
