Five for the Future
2008-09 Youth of the Year Winners Continue Tradition of Excellence
By K. Reneé Overs

Each year, thousands of Boys & Girls Club members set out on a journey that only one will see to completion. Their journey begins locally, continuing to the state level. From there, just five make it to the regional level. Of those five, one is ultimately chosen to represent Boys & Girls Clubs and millions of Club members around the world.

Welcome to Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year program, which recognizes outstanding young people who have overcome challenging obstacles in life; made significant contributions to their families, schools, communities and Boys & Girls Clubs; excelled in school; and served as positive role models for younger Club members. The five 2008-09 regional winners continue a 60-year legacy of excellence, representing the very best that Boys & Girls Clubs have to offer.

Last September, the five winners traveled to Washington, D.C., all hoping to capture the prestigious title of National Youth of the Year. After an intense judging process, Shonnetta Henry of Denver received the highest honor BGCA can bestow on a Boys & Girls Club member.

Within moments of the announcement, Shonnetta and her regional counterparts participated in the launch of BGCA’s new advocacy campaign, BE GREAT, along with Club alumnus and national spokesperson Denzel Washington.

Following the press event, Shonnetta delivered BE GREAT information and statistics that identify issues that concern teens to the offices of Senators McCain and Obama.

Even as she received a standing ovation from the U.S. Congress and sat next to Denzel Washington, Shonnetta knew that these honors would not have been possible without her Boys & Girls Club. “Needing support was my biggest challenge and I am thankful that my Club saved me,” says Shonnetta. “Now I can inspire changes in other people.”

As National Youth of the Year, Shonnetta will serve as BGCA’s teen spokesperson for the next year and tour the country as an ambassador for Clubs. She also received more than $26,000 in college scholarships, courtesy of the Reader’s Digest Foundation. (Each regional winner received $11,000 in scholarships from Reader’s Digest.)

During the weeklong celebration, the five young people explored Washington, D.C., meeting congressional leaders and attending a Washington Nationals baseball game. They also received President’s Volunteer Service Awards for their generous community involvement. Amidst all the excitement of the week, the highlight was visiting the White House, where President George W. Bush greeted and congratulated the five finalists in the Oval Office.

National
Youth of the Year

Shonnetta Henry
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver

Raised in a shattered household, Shonnetta Henry is determined to provide a strong foundation for her family. She teaches her younger sister and two brothers morals and values, provides for their welfare, and brings in financial resources. Realizing her family’s generational poverty cycle, Shonnetta is determined to guide her siblings to a better life.

At the George M. Wilfley branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver – where she was a member for five years – Shonnetta was a Junior Staffer, president of the Keystone Club (a leadership group for teen members), a teacher for the Words Can Heal program (promoting the power of language), and a participant in the Ink About It poetry writing and performance group. She also enjoyed helping younger members with their homework. In 2007, she received the Swanee Hunt Individual Leadership Award for her Club service.

A graduate of Denver’s East High School, Shonnetta was active in the Black Student Alliance, the varsity speech team and the East Theatre Company, among other activities, while maintaining a rigorous academic schedule that included advanced placement and accelerated courses. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring artistic forms of expression through poetry and dance. Shonnetta is now pursuing a major in child psychology at the University of New Mexico.