Boys & Girls clubs name youth of the year

FORT COLLINS — Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County have named this year’s senior and junior Youth of the Year.

The awards, presented in partnership with Colorado State University and Front Range Community College, include recognition, as well as $19,000 in academic scholarships for the senior youth.

The awards come after a Youth of the Year competition on Feb. 10 at the CSU Lory Student Center Ballroom. The winning senior youth is Wesley, a 10th-grade student; and the winning junior youth is Jade, a fifth-grader. Both winners attend the Sage Homes Wellington Club. Wesley will compete in the statewide Youth of the Year competition in April. Both youth will be recognized at the annual Spring Soirée on May 31 at the Hilton Fort Collins.

As described by the Boys & Girls Clubs, Wesley has been a club member for 10 years and “is a resilient young man who has overcome some major obstacles in his young life, and yet he always sees the best in everyone and everything. His genuinely positive outlook on life is infectious and has a way of picking others up around him without even trying. He demonstrates our core values daily, and is an outstanding role model for our youth at Club. Wesley sees himself as a future firefighter.”

Jade “is always the first to volunteer to help staff and fellow club members. Jade values making impactful relationships with staff and younger members. She truly is leading by example. Jade sees herself as a doctor or nurse because she likes helping others.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County offer services to about 2,000 youth each year at locations in Fort Collins, Estes Park, Loveland, and Wellington.

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