Celebrating Today’s Youth As Tomorrow’s Stars

Every child with a great imagination dreams of the future and becoming a famous athlete, doctor, teacher or race car driver. Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside looks to turn kid’s dreams into reality by providing nationally recognized programs and local opportunities to learn and grow. Miguel, Chyna, Makayla and Alexus’ future started by walking through the double glass doors of a building where being a kid was not only embraced but celebrated. As these inspiring hopefuls found out, they would not just walk through the double doors, they would begin a journey into adulthood and a world of endless possibilities as members of the Boys & Girls Clubs. These four teens will be acknowledged and recognized as the Club’s 2014 Youth of the Year Ambassadors at the organizations upcoming Field of Dreams event where they plan to Celebrate Today’s Youth as Tomorrows Stars. Miguel is a young man who has taken the opportunities given to him through Boys & Girls Clubs and turned those into a promising future. Miguel is no stranger to accepting the role and responsibilities that comes along with being a leader. Being the eldest child in his family and one of the older members at the Club, leadership opportunities were frequent for Miguel. Leadership turned out to be a quality that Miguel harnessed and used to become one of the Club’s Youth of the Year Ambassadors, a top honor at Boys & Girls Clubs. Through program participation and great mentorship from Club staff, Miguel will be the first in his family to attend college after graduating this summer. Miguel’s dream of becoming a Pharmacist and majoring in Bio Chemistry will come true as he begins his next journey at the University of La Verne this fall. When asked the question, what does a Youth of the Year Ambassador mean to you, Miguel said, “I feel like it really expresses who I am as a person and a role model.” Chyna is a young woman of passion with a desire to help others. Growing up Chyna has taken on the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings. Her natural caring natural carried on into her life at the Boys & Girls Club, and effected those around her greatly. At first, Chyna was not a fan of the Club and did not want to participate in any activities or programs offered. The staff reached out to Chyna displaying the same caring nature that she herself had and Chyna's reluctance gave way. Chyna became more involved in programs like Smart Girls and Keystone and then, the Club was more and more like a second home and second family to her. “Smart Girls, a program to inspire young women and teach them about healthy relationships, is a great program”, says Chyna. “I love how being in this program has made me grow into the person I am today.” Chyna’s strength, motivation and encouragement of others are qualities that were recognized by staff members and lead to her nomination as one of this year’s Youth of the Year Ambassadors. This opportunity will help Chyna reach her goals of attending college and becoming a respiratory therapist. Makayla is a young woman with plans to make a name for herself. Although she grew up on a side of San Bernardino where negative influences were affluent and most young ladies were faced with challenges from their surrounding environment, Makayla is making plans to attend college and pursue a career as sports physical therapist. Makayla believes that Boys & Girls Club and its programs have really helped her. This year is the first year for Makayla to be nominated as a youth of the year ambassador and she is making great use of it. With the help of staff and encouraging motivation from fellow teens, Makayla is participating in the Club’s College Bound program that helps kids learn more about different degrees, scholarship information and even provides college tours for the teens to go on. Makayla’s dream of becoming a Sports Physical Therapist is just around the corner and with help from Boys & Girls Clubs, she will get there “It’s cool that College Bound has shown me that my dream school and dream career can be a reality,“ says Makayla. Growing up, Alexus has faced challenges as a young woman in a community faced with adversity and negative influences. Seeing all of this, Alexus decided it was time for her to change and she realized she did not want to continue down this same pattern of life but create one that was new, inspiring and would lead to great things. Alexus recalls how she was really shy and had her reservations about joining Boys & Girls Clubs. As some of her friends and sister joined the Club and started participating in programs, Alexus decided that she would check it out as well. As her time with the Club grew, so did her confidence, ability to trust others and overall self-esteem. Alexus now helps lead the Smart Girls program at her site, is a mentor to others in the Club and participates in all programs offered to her. It was an honor for her to be nominated as one of this year’s Youth of the Year Ambassadors where she can share her story and inspire others. Alexus’ story proves that no door can stay shut if you choose to open and walk through it. Through the programs at the Club, Alexus has decided her next goal is to graduate high school, attend college and become a Veterinarian to help animals. As Youth of the Year Ambassadors all of these teens are role models for the next generation! "Boys & Girls Club really helps me stay focused, I now want a career as a Veterinarian," Alexus says. All four of these amazing teens will be highlighted and give a speech at Boys & Girls Clubs upcoming Field of Dreams event on Friday, May 16, 2014. This baseball-themed fundraiser will be held at San Manuel Stadium, Home of the 66ers, and include dinner, auction, entertainment and fun all while sitting right on the infield diamond! Guests are encourage to join us wearing their favorite baseball attire to help celebrate these great teens and to prepare for the next generation.