Exceptional New Rochelle Teen Wins Youth of the Year Honor

New Rochelle, NY, [3/30/2020] – Selected among 2 outstanding youth, Juan has been named the Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle (BGCNR). The Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor bestowed upon an exemplary young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle. Now in its 73rd year, the Youth of the Year program honors our nation’s most awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures. Juan will go on to contend for the New York State Youth of the Year title and a $2,500 college scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

“We are so fortunate to have Juan representing the Club. He has been a leader and role model for our members. We congratulate him and look forward to all of the great things in his future”, said Lutonya Russell-Humes, Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle.

Juan has made significant contributions at our Club including being named the 2017 BGCNR Youth of the Year, 2017 Mayor for the Day, and the 2020 BGCA President’s Sparkle Award Recipient. He was one of the first teens at our Mascaro Clubhouse and served as our Keystone Co-President for 4 years. Juan has been a member of our Law Club, which is a partnership with the New Rochelle Bar Association, where members learn a different aspect of law each month. Juan has also attended Boys & Girls Club of America National Day of Advocacy where he advocated on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C about the impact Boys & Girls Clubs has made on his life.

If Juan is named the New York State Youth of the Year, he will contend for the title of Northeast Regional Youth of the Year and will receive an additional $20,000 college scholarship. Six finalists will advance to Washington, D.C. in September 2020, to vie for the title of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year. The National Youth of the Year will receive an additional scholarship of $50,000.

The Youth of the Year program is supported by Toyota. As a Signature Sponsor of Youth of the Year, Toyota is committed to partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to ensure local Clubs provide life-enhancing opportunities for kids and teens to explore, develop and apply the essential skills they need to be successful in life and work. Youth of the Year representatives are the workforce leaders, innovators and problem-solvers of tomorrow.

For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit www.youthoftheyear.org.

About Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle

The Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle (www.bgcnr.org) has been providing a safe, structured and positive environment for youth, ages 6-18, for more than 91 years. It is also charged with helping youth to develop the attitudes, skills, values, and behaviors that enable them to succeed in life. With five locations throughout the city of New Rochelle, the Club impacts almost 2,000 youth every year by offering a wide array of programs and services after school, during school holidays, and the entire summer.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,600 Clubs serve over 4.7 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at on Facebook and Twitter.

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Contact:

William Iannuzzi, Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle, wiannuzzi@bgcnrorg, 914-235-3736.