Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County Honors 922 Local Youth

This past week Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County held three Youth of the Year events celebrating the achievements of 922 outstanding Santa Rosa and Roseland area youth. Youth of the Year is the premier youth recognition program for Club members which highlights young people’s character, personal growth, academic performance and leadership qualities. A total of six events were held across the county recognizing 1,263 youth for being outstanding Club members.

This year three events were be held to accommodate all 19 Santa Rosa area sites. The three events took place on successive nights beginning on Tuesday, May 17^th and recognized youth from the following schools and Club locations: Roseland, Sheppard, RAMS, Roseland Creek, Roseland Village, Helen Lehman, Monroe, Cook, Comstock, Burbank, Olive, Rowan, JX Wilson, Matanzas, Jack London, Steele Lane, Lincoln, Biella, and Brook Hill Clubs. Also recognized at the events were students from the organizations’ Rohnert Park Club and youth from their REACH program, which is run in partnership with Juvenile Hall.

In attendance at the events and showing their support for Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park area youth were, Superintendents Amy Jones-Kerr, and Jennie Snyder, SRPD Captain Rainer Navarro, two dozen local Principals and Vice Principals, Santa Rosa City Councilmembers Ernesto Olivares, Gary Wysocky, and Erin Carlstrom, as well as numerous other community leaders and supporters. The Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park communities were very generous in their support of the Youth of the Year event, contributing funds to help ensure the ongoing success of the local Club sites. Supporters included: Bank of Marin, Check Center, Clos du Bois Winery, Innovative Screen Printing, La Tortilla Factory, Mary’s Pizza Shack, and Transcendence Theatre Company.

Youth of the Year is the pinnacle event of the Clubs ongoing Youth of the Month program. Each month, at all 31 locations operated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County, five youth are recognized for their success in one of the five core areas of the organization; The Arts, Character and Leadership, Academic Success, Health and Life Skills, and Sports, Fitness, and Recreation. This program is designed to recognize Club members for going above and beyond and to inspire others to do the same. The Youth of the Month programs is one of the key ways that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County realizes its mission to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

In addition to recognizing all of the Youth of the Month winners from the past school year, a Youth of the Year winner was selected for each Club site for each core program area. Additionally, the organization selected Windsor High School Junior Lizceth Hernandez as the overall Youth of the Year for the organization. As the overall Youth of the Year, Lizceth received a medallion and has the opportunity to be considered for State Youth of the Year, a regional finalist, or even National Youth of the Year. Each State Youth of the Year receives a special plaque and a $1,000 scholarship. Each Regional Youth of the Year receives an engraved plaque, a $10,000 scholarship and has the opportunity to meet the President of the United States. The National Youth of the Year receives the treasured National Youth of the Year plaque and an additional scholarship award of $15,000.

In attendance at the event and showing their support for local youth were 5^th District Supervisor Efren Carillo, City Council Members Ernesto Olivares and Gary Wysocky, Superintendents Amy Jones-Kerr and Jennie Snyder, many school administrators, SRPD Captain Rainer Navarro, and numerous donors, Board Members, and local advocates of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County serves over 3,000 children daily in after school programming within the Cloverdale, Geyserville, Healdsburg, Windsor, Santa Rosa, and Rohnert Park communities with the commitment is to offer exemplary programs and services daily. The organization opens its doors every day in elementary schools, middle schools, affordable housing complexes, a teen center, and even Juvenile Hall with a mission to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to become caring, productive, and responsible citizens.