Local representative will go on to state competition

CONTRIBUTED — The Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County has selected three local representatives to participate in their local Youth of the Year program. Katie Gilbert, Mandy Hawkins, and Lucian LaFluer have been selected for exemplifying leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle. On Saturday, Feb. 22, 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. “It is inspiring to watch these teens work hard to complete their Youth of the Year packets. It requires them to dig deep and do some self-exploration. All three of these teens have grown into this process, supporting one another and helping each other with the challenging tasks that tend to be outside of their comfort zone. They have really turned this into a fun experience. The competition offers them self-confidence and courage they most likely didn’t know that they had, and I feel certain they will gain a life skill or two to carry with them throughout their journey to success,” explained Shelly Parham, Program 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.

As a Signature Sponsor of Youth of the Year, Toyota is committed to partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to ensure local Clubs provide life enhancing opportunities for kids and teens to explore, develop and apply the essential skills they need to be successful in life and work. Youth of the Year representatives are the workforce leaders, innovators and problem-solvers of tomorrow. Toyota 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

Since 1947, the Boys & Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County has enabled 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.