“Youth of the Year” Award Winner Announced at FOR KIDS Gala. Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania continues its 135-year anniversary with a call for action.

Pittsburgh April 15, 2024 – Two-hundred and fifty Club Kids, parents, sponsors, partners, and Boys & Girls Clubs staff gathered Sunday afternoon at the Lexus Club in PPG Paints Arena for their inaugural FOR KIDS Gala. At the celebration, twenty-two Club Kids received recognition for demonstrating the character and leadership that BGCWPA has been advancing for over 135 years. The event also was also a call to action to kick-off the organization’s FOR KIDS campaign.

The Youth of the Year Award is the highest honor a Club Kid can receive, which celebrates their accomplishments and inspires their peers towards their potential. One teen is chosen annually to represent their organization on the national level and receives a $5,000 scholarship towards post-secondary education. “It is a special day,” stated Chris Watts, Executive Director of BGCWPA. “We are celebrating and honoring exceptional Club Kids. Each Club Kid being recognized for their achievements in STEAM, Literacy, Sports, Teen and Clubhouse programming. “Laila King, our Youth of the Year Award recipient, is a sophomore honor student at Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA). She’s been a Club Kid since 2021 and we are inspired by her leadership, tenacity, and personal mission to ‘Encourage everyone to practice radical love.’”

Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania has worked to advance the potential of youth and teens throughout the Pittsburgh region, serving more than 7,500 youth and families across 17 locations in 2023. A safe place for kids to prepare their careers and life, with programs for ages 3-24, including preschool, before/afterschool, summer camp, teen mentoring, workforce development, STEAM, and sports.

“We’ve had an increase of 60% enrollment this year with 80% of our kids needing scholarships to participate and we’ve given out more than $250K this year in scholarships. There is no doubt that the need to help kids is growing, ” said Watts.

The focus of Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania is to ensure that they meet kids where they are and provide them with the opportunity to grow and set goals.

“It’s our responsibility to be For Kids.” Watts continued. “That’s why we exist. That’s why we are expanding and providing better, quality programs with safer environments. With the right partnerships and resources, we will be able to expand our reach and care for these kids. We’re not the only ones doing this work. It takes all of us.”

The BGCWPA alumni are thousands of people in this region who the team wants to connect with to help the next generation of kids. Some have already come forward to help the BGCWPA expand their reach. To commemorate this impact, BGCWPA surprised the crowd by announcing a special Alumni Award to Vince Morales, SVP and CFO of PPG Industries and Board Chair of BGCWPA, and also a Club Kid Alumni from McKees Rocks.

“I am honored to be recognized for my work with Boys & Girls Clubs but I accept this award on behalf of all of the Club Kids.” Said Vince Morales. “The Club was an instrumental part of my upbringing and I know first-hand how important it is to have a place with people who help you achieve your goals. The Boys & Girls Clubs do the work that works. I’m so proud to be part of the alumni network but also part of their future.”

ProspHire Healthcare Consulting was the Diamond Sponsor of the event with PPG Industries as  the Gold Sponsor. Both companies have been significant supporters of BGCWPA for multiple years and continue to be champions of the mission. Watts announced a $1.35 Million FOR KIDS Campaign Goal in recognition of BGCWPA’s 135 anniversary with a focus on eliminating barriers so that all children can have access to Club programs. “We need to be intentional with supporting kids and we understand the need for scholarships and programs as an essential element to create impact. We have operated in a deficit to ensure our kids are taken care of – we are asking the community to come alongside us and help our next generation of kids.”

For more information on Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania or to contribute to the FOR KIDS Campaign, visit www.bgcwpa.org.

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ABOUT BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
For 135 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania has worked to advance the potential of youth and teens throughout the Pittsburgh region, now serving more than 5,000 youth and families across 17 locations. We are a safe place for kids to prepare for careers and life, with programs including preschool, before/afterschool, summer camp, teen mentoring, workforce development, STEAM, and sports. Our core values of safety, fun, and inclusion enable us to accelerate progress towards our priority outcomes for youth of Academic Success, Career & Life Readiness, Character & Leadership, and Healthy Lifestyles.