Boys & Girls Clubs in Colorado Names Winners at 2023 Youth of the Year Event
ARTICLE | On April 18 at the Denver Art Museum, 13 outstanding youth who represented Boys & Girls Clubs from across Colorado competed in the annual Colorado Youth of the Year event. The event followed two days of preparing and delivering speeches and meeting with five event judges. After careful consideration, the judges name Naja'Ray W., representing the Boys & Girls Denver Metro Club, and Abby A. representing R.P. Lee, Peterson Space Force Base Youth Center, were named as Youth of the Year for 2023.
Youth of the Year is Boys & Girls Club’s premier youth recognition program that gives young Club members an opportunity to share their story and vision for the future while representing youth who attend Boys & Girls Clubs across the state.
At the announcement ceremony, attended by more than 100 supporters, the nominees heard from several respected speakers, including:
Colorado Governor Jared Polis, in a prerecorded message
Dr. Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and member of the Governor’s cabinet
Monique Johnson, a program officer with The Colorado Health Foundation and a Boys & Girls Club alumni
Malachi Hayes, winner of the 2019 Boys & Girls Club in America competition
The Youth of the Year Program recognizes an extraordinary Club member in two categories for their leadership, service, academic excellence, and dedication to be a positive voice in their community. Each of the 13 participating Clubs in Colorado nominated one youth to advance to the state-level competition in Denver. The Youth of the Year winners receive scholarships and advance to regional competition. Each level in the competition opens additional scholarship opportunities.
“This event highlights so much of what is great about the 80-plus Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Colorado that support, mentor and deliver positive out-of-school opportunities for thousands of youth every day,” said Kaycee Headrick, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Clubs in Colorado. “These 13 youth have shown tremendous character and leadership and remind us how powerful the next generation of leaders will be.”
The events signature sponsors included The Colorado Health Foundation and Vectra Bank, which announced a $5,000 matching grant at the event for Boys & Girls Clubs in Colorado. Additionally, event sponsors included Comcast, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and The Perfect Petal.
Boys & Girls Clubs in Colorado is a nonprofit organization formed to maximize the impact of 17 regional Boys & Girls Club organizations managing 80-plus locations across Colorado and serving 45,000 youth each year. The organization drives partnerships with state government, foundations, and state-wide partner agencies. Boys & Girls Clubs exist across Colorado–in rural, urban, tribal, and military communities–to give young people access to life-changing out-of-school experiences. As a statewide organization, Boys & Girls Clubs in Colorado facilitates collaboration and opportunities for large-scale initiatives to increase the financial stability of all Colorado Club organizations.