The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River
Bullhead City, AZ - Fort Mohave, AZ - Laughlin, NV

Character & Leadership Development

Youth of the Year

Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier youth recognition program promotes and celebrates Club members’ service to Club, community and family; academic performance; moral character; life goals and poise and public speaking ability. The Youth of the Year program is most effective when used as a year-round tool for fostering young people’s personal growth and leadership qualities. Local Clubs select a Youth of the Year, who then participates in state competition. State winners participate in regional competition. Five regional winners each receive a $5,000 scholarship and compete on the national level. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $10,000 scholarship and is installed by the President of the United States. The Youth of the Year Program, in existence for more than 50 years, is sponsored by the Reader’s Digest Association.

Click Here to see our "Youth of the Year" Hall of Fame

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From left: Reyniesha Sharp, Midwest Region Youth of the Year; Demetrice Tuttle, National Youth of the Year; President Bush; Brittny Cantero, Southwest Region Youth of the Year; Gino Binkert, Northeast Region Youth of the Year; Sasha Andersen, Pacific Region Youth of the Year; and BGCA President and CEO Roxanne Spillett.

Ms. Anderson Goes to Washington!

Local Club Member Sasha Andersen Competes for National Youth of the Year, Meets with President Bush in Oval Office

In early March 2007, local Club member Sasha Andersen was named Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River Youth of the Year, little did she know then where that title would take her. Some seven months later she found herself face to face with the President of the United States in the most famous office in the world.

After winning the local competition, Sasha went on to become both the Arizona State Youth of the Year and then the Pacific Region Youth of the Year and a chance to compete for Boys & Girls Clubs of America's National Youth of the Year. Last week Sasha joined the four other Regional winners selected from over 4.8 million youth served by BGCA, in Washington D.C. to vie for the national title. Over a six day period the five remakable youth were treated like Washington VIP's, taking part in video and photo shoots, Congressional Meetings, Power Lunches, a Congressional Breakfast and of course a little meeting at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

After a competition that was judged by Larry Clark, long-time BGCA supporter, Dan Ephron of Newsweek, Assistant Attorney General Regina Schofield, Marcia Rockwood of Reader’s Digest and Laura Sessions Stepp of The Washington Post, Demetrice Tuttle, a six-year member of Boys & Girls Clubs of West Georgia, was named the 2007-08 National Youth of the Year at a Congressional Breakfast co-hosted by Sen. Orrin Hatch and House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer.

Tuttle along with the other four finalists (including Andersen) will over the next year, serve as youth spokespersones for BGCA. “Every one of these young men and women are living proof that Boys & Girls Clubs close the gap between hope and opportunity,” said Roxanne Spillett, BGCA President and CEO.

The Youth of the Year program, which has been nationally sponsored by the Reader’s Digest Foundation since 1947, recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club; academic excellence; and personal challenges and obstacles overcome.

"We could not be more proud of Sasha and all that she has accomplished," said Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River Executive Director/CPO, Brian Velarde. "She is an outstanding representative of both our Clubs and Clubs throughout the country."

Torch Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls ages 11-13 focusing on character development. A Torch Club is a powerful vehicle through which Club staff can help meet the special needs of younger adolescents at a critical stage in their development. Torch Club members learn to elect officers and work together to plan and implement activities in four areas: service to Club and community, education, health and fitness and social recreation. Torch Club Awards are presented annually to Torch Clubs with outstanding programs and activities in the four areas. Each year, Torch Club members from all over the country take part in a service-learning experience through the National Torch Club Project. The Torch Club program is sponsored by The MetLife Foundation.

Keystoning is the Boys & Girls Club Movement’s most dynamic teen program. Keystone Clubs are chartered small-group leadership and service clubs for boys and girls ages 14-18. Keystoners elect officers and plan and implement their own activities in six areas: service to Club and community, leadership development, education and career exploration, unity, free enterprise and social recreation. Keystone Club members and their advisors are eligible for nomination to steering committees which organize regional and national TEENSupreme Keystone Conferences attended by thousands of Keystoners each year. TEENSupreme Keystone Club Awards are bestowed annually on Keystone Clubs that undertake programs and activities which best promote the principles of Keystoning. Each year, Keystoners select a National TEENSupreme Keystone Project for local Keystone Clubs to complete. The combined action of hundreds of local Keystone Clubs results in a service project with a national scope. B&GCA’s TEENSupreme initiative is funded by the Taco Bell Foundation.

Moral Compass

Character Development is the cornerstone of all Boys & Girls Clubs programming. Since 1998, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River have been a nationwide leader in Character Development. The Club's Virtues Program has been very successful in bringing out the best in our youth. The program focuses on the innate Virtues that are within all youth, and how best to practice each virtue. Children learn what each virtue looks, sounds and feels like when being practiced.

Character development has been identified as a major area of emphasis in our Movement’s strategic plan for the next five years. In 2001 the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Colorado River were selected as one of fifteen pilot sites nationwide to implement and evaluate this program on a national scale.