Zoey R. Named 2024 Junior Youth of the Year for St. Charles County

St. Charles, MO - January 15, 2024

After 12 weeks of workshops, practice, and unit level competitions, Brielle F., Radia J., Zoey R., and Lillian T., competed at the Organization Level Junior Youth of the Year Competition on January 13, 2024. All the young ladies did an incredible job sharing their unique Club stories and representing their individual Club units through essays, speeches, and interviews with judges from the community.

Five volunteer judges were tasked with making the difficult decision of choosing the 2024 Junior Youth of the Year. The judges included Monique Bynum of Boeing, Associate Circuit Judge Robert Cornejo, Eric Cowan of Reinsurance Group of America, Dr. Earl Draper of City of St. Charles School District, and Dr. Julie Turner of Lindenwood University. After thoughtful deliberation and submitting their scores, the judges named Zoey R. as the 2024 Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Charles County Junior Youth of the Year.

Zoey, and the nine total Junior Youth of the Year participants, were recognized at the second annual Great Futures Lunch sponsored by Greensfelder, Hemker, & Gale, P.C. on January 15th. Volunteers, board members, community stakeholders, elected officials, and parents attended the event to celebrate these Club members, as well as hear a State of the Club presentation from Chief Executive Officer, Karen Englert. “The Great Futures Lunch demonstrated our commitment to building great futures for our Club kids through leadership development and community engagement. We were honored to have so many stakeholders join us for the luncheon and celebration,” shared Karen Englert.

Zoey is a sixth-grade member of the St. Charles Unit and attends City of St. Charles School District. She describes herself as caring, funny, and friendly. She is a motivated young lady with a heart for community service. She enjoys volunteering with younger Club members and helping Club staff. Outside of the Club, she enjoys participating in tennis and dancing. Zoey, as well as Brielle, Radia, and Lillian, will attend BGCSTC’s 59th Annual Gala on February 10th to share their Club experience with over 500 community stakeholders. In April, Zoey and the BGCSTC team will travel to Jefferson City to compete for the statewide title of Junior Youth of the Year and participate in a legislative day of advocacy.

Locally sponsored by Toyota Missouri and Zach Plackemeier State Farm Agency and nationally sponsored by Toyota, Kohls, and Mondelez International, the Junior Youth of the Year program provides opportunities for local youth to gain essential career skills and increase their confidence. Club youth become motivated to seek opportunities for leadership and to act as responsible citizens and change agents.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Charles County

For nearly 70 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Charles County (BGCSTC) has provided a safe place for kids and teens to learn and grow. Clubs offer caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs daily during critical non-school hours. Boys & Girls Clubs programming promotes academic success, good character & leadership, and healthy lifestyles. Through annual summer camps, after-school programming, and community events, BGCSTC serves children ages 5-18 across St. Charles County and beyond to enable them to become responsible, caring, and productive citizens. Learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Charles County on bgcstc.org, Facebook, and LinkedIn.