Youth of the Year named by Boys & Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri, Inc., announced their Youth of the Year Thursday night at the Fox Event Center in downtown Sedalia.

A total of 15 finalists from each site competed for the honor in three categories — Elementary, Intermediate and Teen. Each youth read their speech to the crowd, which included five judges, as well as proud parents, friends and Boys & Girls Club staff and site managers.

Those competing included:

Elementary:

Riley Blankenship, 8 years old, Horace Mann Elementary Program

Isaih Ewert, 7 years old, Heber Hunt Elementary Program

Jacob Ideran, 10 years old, Skyline Elementary Program

Kylee Hedrick, 8 years old, Leeton Elementary Program

Jessie Layton, 9 years old, Parkview Elementary Program

Broedy Neth, 9 years old, Washington Elementary Program

Alexandra Phillips, 10 years old, Sedalia Middle School Program

Ada Tucker, 10 years old, Green Ridge Elementary Program

Tanner Martin, 10 years old, La Monte Elementary Program

Leah Landon, 10 years old, Smithton Elementary Program

Intermediate:

Hunter Fisher, 12 years old, La Monte Elementary Program

Morgan Mummert, 12 years old, Lutheran School Association (Cole Camp)

Taylor Driskill, 12 Years Old, Leeton Elementary Program

Lyndon North, 12 years old, Sedalia Middle School Program

Teen:

Cheyenne Anderson, 14 years old, Smithton Teen Program

Being named Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive. As Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier youth recognition program, the Youth of the Year title recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome. As the national program sponsor, Tupperware Brands awards each state winner a $1,000 college scholarship and each regional winner a $10,000 scholarship. The national winner receives an additional scholarship up to $50,000 from The Rick and Susan Goings Foundation.

The winners in each category were:

Ada Tucker, 10 years old, Green Ridge Elementary Program

Taylor Driskill, 12 Years Old, Leeton Elementary Program

Cheyenne Anderson, 14 years old, Smithton Teen Program

The teen Youth of the Year winner (Anderson) will be the only Club member to advance to the state competition in early April, in accordance with Boys & Girls Clubs of America guidelines, it was noted. Photos by Randy Kirby, Sedalia News Journal.