Boys & Girls Club Names Youth of the Year

It was a night of inspiring stories during the annual Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri’s Youth of the Year event, presented by Inter-State Studio & Publishing Co.

The competition, held January 31 at the Hayden Liberty Center, was well attended by more than 100 family and friends of the nominees.

Nolen Gieschen, Smithton Site, was named Elementary Youth of the Year; Brooklyn Hathaway, Parkview Site, was named Junior Youth of the Year, and Austin Nations (The CLUB) was named Teen Youth of the Year.

“We are so proud of our candidates this year,” said Director of Operations Tyler Hudson. “It takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of a crow and tell your story. We look forward to Brooklyn and Austin representing our Club during the state competition in April.”

Youth of the Year is the Club’s premier youth recognition program, which honors outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome. To be named a Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can achieve. In addition to the Youth of the Year title, Austin received a $1,000 scholarship to State Fair Community College and a $4,000 scholarship to Missouri State University.

“Youth of the Year is an opportunity to showcase our members’ story of what Boys & Girls Club means to them,” said Executive Director Gary Beckman. “For some it’s a place to do fun things with friends and get homework help, for others it’s about the relationships that inspire and encourage greatness. This group of remarkable young people make the lives of all those around them better by their kindness, leadership, service and encouragement to others.”