Youth of the Year

 

 

 

Benefits and Honors…
Each of our five Branches select an eligible Boy and Girl Youth of the Year Winners annually. One candidate each year is identified to represent the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sun Corridor in the State of Arizona Competition in Phoenix every April. Our 2019 Casa Grande Youth of the Year was Abbigayle Mendoza. We also recognize members from each Branch and award categories of all ages in the five core program areas of the Club at our Youth of the Year Breakfast. 


About Youth of the Year
Since 1947, Youth of the Year has been Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier recognition program, celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Club members. Each year, one exceptional young person from a Boys & Girls Club rises to the role of National Youth of the Year. The National Youth of the Year serves as both an exemplary ambassador for Boys & Girls Club youth and as a strong voice for all of our nation’s young people. The journey to being named National Youth of the Year begins locally and progresses to state, regional and national levels, with an additional military phase for members of BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations.

National Youth of the Year
Each year, one exceptional Club member is selected to be the National Youth of the Year, serving as an ambassador for Boys & Girls Club youth as well as a voice for all of our nation’s young people. Over the decades, these individuals have exemplified the Boys & Girls Club mission and are proof to the impact Clubs make in transforming and saving kids’ lives. National Youth of the Year winners have achieved success in a variety of industries, including entertainment, politics, business and sports.

Becoming National Youth of the Year is an exciting and inspiring journey. Each year, thousands of Club teens participate in local, state and regional Youth of the Year events. Six teens, including five regional winners and a national military youth winner, advance to Washington, D.C., for the National Youth of the Year Gala & Celebration Dinner, where one outstanding young person is named Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s national teen spokesperson. The National Youth of the Year is a role model, leader and advocate for the nearly 4 million youth served by Boys & Girls Clubs each year, and all of America’s young people.

Past Winners (YOTY Alumni)

2020                N/A

2019                Abbigayle Mendoza

2018                Kymani Bledsoe

2017                Serena Mena

2016                Serena Mena

2015                Jacob Green

2014                Giovanni Marques

2013                Maeghan Gabriel

2012                Maeghan Gabriel

2011                Tyler Peck

2010                N/A

2009                Tiffany Faulkner

2008                Joaquin Campos

2007                Steven Aguirre

2006                Jesus Apodaca

2005                Christa Barber

2004                Audra Calkins

2003                Valerie Felder

2002                Lindsay Bonjour

2001                Thomas Lopez, III

2019 Youth of the Year

Abbigayle is a junior at Vista Grande High School and hopes to attend college and later become an FBI special agent. She wants to attend Central Arizona College and in law enforcement training as she is currently enrolled in CAVIT, the Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology with the law enforcement program. 

From teaching kids how to draw their favorite superheroes to helping with homework, Abbigayle strives to make every child feel special at the Club. She has been a member for eleven years, and now loves volunteering at the Ironwood Branch by helping kids. Abbigayle has been a two-time recipient of the volunteer award and also was named the Volunteer of the Year    for 2017. The organization has helped her overcome her shyness and grow as an individual.

“The biggest benefit to volunteering with the organization is the opportunity to help others, and I feel that the Boys & Girls Clubs is a great place for kids and it’s a safe place for them to go after school where they can make friends and learn new things.” – Abbigayle Mendoza, Ironwood Branch

Mission & Vision Statement

Mission: “To inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens”

 

Vision: “To focus resources and efforts in our growing communities through partnerships with other organizations that share our vision and mission to provide a safe, fun and Positive Place For Kids.



 

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Contacts

  Click here to fill out form in contact us menu page to email us.

  (520) 876-5437

Mailing address for Administration Office, Casa Grande & Maricopa Branches:              PO Box 10291 Casa Grande, Arizona 85130
 
Mailing Address for only Arizona City Branch:
PO Box 3940 Arizona City, AZ 85123
 
ONLY PACKAGES FOR ORGANIZATION CAN BE SENT TO:
1905 N Peart Road, Casa Grande, AZ 85130
 
 

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