Boys & Girls Club Members Compete at State Youth of the Year

Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri was well represented during the 2022 Missouri State Youth of the Year competition, held April 12-13 in Jefferson City.

Chase Stone, 16, and Anthony Sisemore, 11, enjoyed two days of fun activities, meeting with local legislators and an awards luncheon. Both also had the opportunity to meet with Gov. Mike Parson and speak about the importance of afterschool programs in communities.

“Chase and Anthony did such an amazing job representing our Club,” said Director of Operations Tyler Hudson. “And after two years of virtual Youth of the Year events, it was great to be back in-person meeting with our legislators and Gov. Parson.”

Stone, who attends Cole Camp High School, is a junior staff member at the Cole Camp Site where he acts as a junior staff member developing and running programs. After graduation he plans to attend college and major in aviation. Sizemore, a student at Smith-Cotton Junior High School, is a member at The CLUB and serves as Torch Club president.

“Chase and Anthony are excellent representatives for our Club and we’re proud of all the hard work they put in every day at their Club Sites,” said Executive Director Gary Beckman. “We’re thankful to the Boys & Girls Club Missouri Alliance for planning and hosting such a successful event and will be cheering on the Missouri winners as they compete in the Regional Youth of the Year competition later this year.”

Youth of the Year is Boys & Girls Clubs’ premier youth recognition program which recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome. Winners receive scholarship funding for their future education and mentorship opportunities.

In the  photos:

Gov. 1 – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson poses with all of the teen and junior Missouri State Youth of the Year nominees, including local Club members Chase Stone (second from right) and Anthony Sisemore (fifth from right).  

Gov. 2 – Gov. Mike Parson speaks with Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri Cole Camp Site member Chase Stone during the state Youth of the Year event, held April 12-13 in Jefferson City. Stone, and his fellow YOY nominees, spoke to the Governor and local legislatures about the importance of afterschool programs in communities.

Anthony and Gov – Gov. Mike Parson poses with Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri’s Anthony Sisemore during the state Youth of the Year event.