2020 Thurston County Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year to Be Announced

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The 2020 Boys and Girls Clubs of Thurston County (BGCTC) Youth of the Year will be named at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at South Puget Sound Community College’s Lacey Campus at 4220 Sixth Ave. SE, Lacey. 

This celebration and reception will honor some of the most inspiring club teens in Thurston County, according to a press release. 

“The evening’s program features exceptional local teens sharing personal stories about how the Club experience shaped their journey of personal growth and helped foster their dreams for the future,” the club wrote in a press release. 

The event is open to the community. Registration is suggested.

This year’s Thurston County nominees include:

• Faith D., senior, Timberline High School

• Amariana P., freshman, Rochester High School

• Austin R., sophomore, Black Hills High School



• Sarah R., freshman, Capital High School 

The night culminates with one teen named the 2020 Thurston County Youth of the Year. The local awardee advances to the Washington state Youth of the Year event and possible regional and national competitions, with scholarships awarded at various levels of advancement. Similarly, an outstanding young person from our state’s military bases is named Washington state’s Military Youth of the Year.

“Youth of the Year honorees at any level — local, state, regional and national — are living proof that Great Futures Start Here at our Clubs,” Boys and Girls Clubs of Thurston County said in the press release. “Established in 1947, Youth of the Year is Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s premier recognition program for club members, promoting service to club, community and family; academic success; strong moral character; life goals; as well as poise and public speaking ability.”

Several local community organizations and sponsors make the Youth of the Year program a reality for the teens served by BGCTC. Top sponsors for this year’s event include Team Agtarap, South Puget Sound Community College, Harbor Wholesale, Olympia Federal Savings, and Wells Fargo.

Nearly 750 kids and teens find safety and support at clubs in Lacey, Olympia, Rochester, Tenino, Tumwater, and Yelm each day during critical out of school time. Low membership fees, scholarships and community support from individuals and businesses keep the club accessible to youth who need us most.

Every day the clubs in Thurston County see an unique cross-section of Thurston County’s nearly 3,000 Club members: 71 percent are under age 12; 41 percent identify as people of color; 59 percent identify as white; 50 percent qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and 44 percent live in single-parent households.

Visit tinyurl.com/BGCTCYOY2020 to reserve a spot at the Youth of the Year event.