Boys & Girls Clubs Honor Organizations, Youth at Be Great Awards

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside honored its Youth of the Year Ambassadors and community advocates for youth at its Be Great Awards at the historic Fox Theatre in San Bernardino May 15. Volunteers from Starbucks and interns from the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire helped put on the event. Ambassador Kevin Ponce spoke about how volunteering at the Club turned him from a troubled student involved in drugs into “a leader and role model.” Ambassador Makayla Pennix said she went from dreading going to the Club as a child to “eagerly anticipating it.” “This is the proudest moment of my Club life,” she told the audience. The Be Great Future Award was given to Kiwanis Division 36, which includes clubs in San Bernardino, Redlands, Fontana, Rialto, Highland, Big Bear, Yucaipa and Colton. Kiwanis clubs provide scholarships to local high school students, offer youth leadership clubs and camps, and do a variety of service projects in the community. Kiwanis Division 36 lieutenant governor Rocket Rios said it was a “great honor” to be recognized by the Boys & Girls Clubs. Lynn Osorio, a program officer with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians’ Community Outreach Department, echoed that sentiment when she accepted the tribe’s Be Great Mission Award. San Manuel has given $280,000 to the Clubs over the last 10 years. Education is one of the tribe’s four charitable giving focuses, and the tribe supports “projects that address educational disparities and boost educational opportunities for youth. Of particular interest are efforts that positively impact reading by third grade, high school graduation, and college-going rates.” T-Mobile was given the Be Great Impact Award for spearheading a toy drive for the Holiday Extravaganza. Inland Empire T-Mobile has collected 1,400 to 1,800 toys a year, and more than 100 employees have volunteered at the event every year. Toys are donated by T-Mobile employees and customers. T-Mobile Inland Empire South manager Robert Lobato said the company’s support of the Club’s Holiday Extravaganza was their way “to give back to children in the Inland Empire.” In addition to honoring these organizations, the Clubs recognized the Youth of the Year and Junior Youth of the Year for their character and citizenship at school and the Clubs. The highlight of the night was Youth of the Year Chyna Phillips’ speech. She told the audience that the Club “gave me a place to let go of things in my life and feel positive” during her family’s financial struggles. Chyna Phillips, 2015 Youth of the Year, is a senior at Redlands East Valley High School and has been coming to the Club for six years. She is a member of REV’s East Valley Singers and track and field team, and is active in the Boys & Girls’ Keystone Club, College Bound and Junior Staff programs. She plans to attend college and become a registered nurse. In one of her essays, she writes that, as president of the Keystone Club, she learned the importance of leadership, service and college. “My involvement in the Club has helped me overcome obstacles in my life. My family and I have had financial troubles, and by me going to the Club and participating, it has helped me thrive,” she writes. Kamryn Coleson, Ambassador, is a senior at Citrus Valley High School and has been a Club member for eight years. She has been active in many Club programs, including Keystone, and has served as a Junior Staff member and counselor at the Boys & Girls Clubs’ Camp Einstein, which teaches kids about science and math in summer. She is interested in art and is taking animation and game design ROP classes, and wants to attend the Academy of Art University so she can be an animator. -Shane Johnson, Ambassador – Shane is a junior at Redlands East Valley High School and has been a Club member for three years. He has been a member of several school choirs and clubs, is on the track team and is trying for a spot on next year’s cheer squad. He has participated in several Keystone service projects. He plans to attend college and build up a following for his YouTube channel, and eventually wants to work for the Human Rights Campaign. Makayla Pennix, Ambassador, is a junior at Citrus Valley High School and has been coming to the Club for 10 years. She is a Junior Staff member and has been involved in several service projects with Keystone, which she helps lead. She plans to go to college to pursue a career in sports medicine and also wants to start an after-school program that would provide tutoring and daycare for teenage mothers. Kevin Ponce, Ambassador, is a senior at Orangewood High School and has been a Club member for several years. He went from failing high school and using drugs to recovering his credits, getting good grades and being on track to graduate. He has been active in many Boys & Girls Club programs, including Junior Staff and Keystone, and has been involved in many service projects. He plans to study electrical engineering in college.