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2015
HARFORD COUNTY YOUTH OF THE YEAR
EDGEWOOD CLUB
Youth of the Year
**Chrissandra J.**
A child of a military family, Chrissandra has experienced the added challenge during middle and high school of moving every few years and having to establish new friendships and routines in a different environment. She's been a Boys & Girls Club member for six years, three in Texas and three here at the Edgewood Club. A senior at Aberdeen High School, she is student body president and the founder/president of the Key Club, a service organization for students.
Active in our Club programs, Chrissandra works with the Torch Club and completed the Young Leaders Academy. She has also logged 60+ volunteer hours in the last 12 months.
"Boys & Girls Clubs help me come out of my shell without actually noticing it. Now I'm a leader in my family, at my church, at school, all because of the many opportunities and great relationships I made at Boys & Girls Clubs."
-Chrissandra J.
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This month we want to start off by thanking everyone who came out to celebrate our silver anniversary at our annual Steak & Burger Dinner and Youth of the Year Awards Ceremony. For 25 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County have opened their blue doors to over 35,000 County youth. Today, thanks in majority to our community of local donors, when you walk into a Club, there are STEM labs, high definition music studios, and hot meals at dinner time. Incredibly, Club members continue to pay just $20 a school year.
Read on to discover more about the dinner and check out all of our highlights below to learn more about what we are doing to encourage, inspire, and support #GreatFutures.
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Aberdeen High School Senior Named
2015 Youth of the Year
for Boys & Girls Clubs Harford County
A capacity crowd filled the APG Federal Credit Union Arena at Harford Community College on March 26 for the 25th Annual Steak & Burger/Youth of the Year Dinner for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County. The annual fundraising and award event raised a record-breaking $130,000 for the Harford County Clubs and named Chrissandra Jackson 2015 Youth of the Year.
Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Gail Devers, was the keynote speaker, and Bob Bloom, General Manager at Delmarva Broadcasting Company/WXCY-FM Radio was the emcee for the evening.
Presenting sponsor Texas Roadhouse of Fallston provided the beef for the evening, serving grilled hamburgers to the adults in attendance and sirloin steak to the kids as is the tradition of the evening focused on honoring the children who attend the Clubs and participate in the programs. "Texas Roadhouse was once again an integral element to the success of the evening," says Executive Director, Tim Wills. "Everyone is always pleased at the quality of the food that is served."
Youth of the Year Chrissandra Jackson, a senior at Aberdeen High School, was one of the four finalists honored at this year's dinner. A child of a military family, Chrissandra has experienced the added challenge during middle and high school of moving every few years and having to establish new friendships and routines in a different environment. She's been a Boys & Girls Club member for six years, three in Texas and three here at the Edgewood Club. A senior at Aberdeen High School, she is student body president and the founder/president of the Key Club, a service organization for students.
Active in our Club programs, Chrissandra works with the Torch Club and completed the Young Leaders Academy. She has also logged 60+ volunteer hours in the last 12 months. "Boys & Girls Clubs help me come out of my shell without actually noticing it," says Jackson. "Now I'm a leader in my family, at my church, at school, all because of the many opportunities and great relationships I made at Boys & Girls Clubs." As the 2015 Youth of the Year winner, Chrissandra was awarded a $1000 education scholarship by the Taco Bell A Step 2 Success program.
The other finalists (from left to right), Liz Jakuba, a six-year member of the Havre de Grace Club, Ashly Rodriquez, a five-year member of the Bel Air Club, Jordan Lester, a six-year member of the Aberdeen Club, received $500 Education Scholarships from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County Endowment College Scholarship Fund.
Let Chrissandra Tell You Her Story
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What do our teens really think about the major issues that affect them? As apart of our 25th Anniversary Year, Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County was pleased to host our first annual "ConnecTEEN" Harford Teen Summit in collaboration with the Local Management Board, Office on Drug Control Policy, Harford County Public Library and Susquahanna Workforce Network. The event was moderated by Non-Profit Consultant, Vanessa Milio, and held at The John Carroll School on Tuesday, March 24th.
Harford's ConnecTEEN served as an opportunity to gather local teens to discuss issues effecting them throughout the county. Teen Drug Use and Job Readiness/Availability were selected as the first two topics to be discussed at the summit, with the third being decided on by the participants.
Drug Abuse Among Teens
Ease of access and peer pressure were cited by teens as the leading cause of underage drug use in the county. Our participants largely believe that the county statistics regarding teen drug use is inaccurate, and far more drug use is occurring and left unreported. The suggested remedy- more aggressively educating teens about the realities of drug use.
Job Preparedness
Many of the participants responded that they felt that they were ready to work but weren't exactly sure what it meant to be job ready. The majority of participants reported that they had made attempts to get summer or part time jobs but had been unsuccessful. Some teens had applied for as many as 5 jobs in a summer and hadn't been hired.The most frequently noted barrier was a lack of transportation only second to the participants age. Many noted that they lacked the "training" needed to get a job. Participants mentioned that they would like to see a local job listing resource aimed at recruiting teen employees and better transportation access for teens in the County.
*Teen Topic of Choice*
The majority of participants chose to discuss bullying, the appropriateness of social media content, and the lack of value many teens place on their education and potential. Our participants revealed that the single most pressing issue on our teens is the persistence of bullying and cyberbullying. Most agree that the encouragement of more peer-to-peer discussion and mentoring is the best solution to this systemic issue among teens.
Several of the tables discussed how little emphasis there is for teens to achieve academically. "Getting good grades and working hard is seen as a bad thing" was a quote from one of the tables that was echoed by several of the other discussions. The teens suggested raising awareness of the importance of academic achievement by illustrating the rewards. There were several discussions about making post high school education more of a reality through opportunities like college visits and job fairs.
Our participants expressed excitement and enthusiasm for the opportunity for their voices to be heard, and to be apart of the solution both for themselves and future generations. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County, we're invested in making ConnecTEEN a staple event in Harford County that generates teen-to-teen conversation and teen-led efforts for community improvement.
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| Jailbirds Released!
If you stopped by Looney's Pub in Bel Air on April 29th, you would have found Bel Air Police Chief Jack Meckley holding bail hearings for many of our local community members.
All of the jailbirds on lock-down that evening were released on "bail money" raised to send our youth to camp this summer! As a result, $20,000 for our campership program. Thanks to all our participants/jailbirds! Special congratulations to Liz Nemeth (
pictured right), who came in first in this friendly competition.
If you are interested in sponsoring a kid (or several kids) for summer camp, please contact Ashira Quabili at
410-272-0010 ext.13 to inquire about our Camperships!
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Here We Come, Texas!
All Girl Windsor Valley Team Wins Junior Solar Sprint!
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The Winning Team! (L to R):
Adriana P, Coach Chrissandra, Kylah C, Jordan W, Destani C
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It's all they can talk about. "We're flying on an airplane to Texas! None of us have ever been on an airplane. Ever!" Winning the Jr. Solar Sprint competition was the most excitement any one at the Windsor Valley Boys & Girls Clubs has had in a long time. But before they won, Jordan, Adriana, Kylah, and Destani were all talking about something else: the work! Testing designs, collecting data, exploring gear ratios, and writing reports presented some challenges they hadn't faced before. It was mostly fun but it was difficult too. Their secret to success: an extraordinary mentor who kept them on track. When asked about how Ms. Chrissandra, their team coach, and 2015 Youth of the Year, had inspired them, they were full of ideas:
"Ms. Chrissandra is funny, awesome, nice, kind..."
"And very intelligent"
"Yeah. Like a genius!"
"And she never gave up on us. She never gets frustrated."
"I want to be like her. Responsible and funny!"
"Me too. Successful and intelligent. Just like her!"
Working part time for the STEM program has helped her define her goals and created in her a desire to help other young women do the same. The site director, Mr. David Pryor, says of Chrissandra, "She is an excellent example of showing youth what hard work and dedication can achieve. She consistently projects a positive attitude and self-image." One lesson her team learned already-you can achieve much by working hard. And they haven't stopped; they are continuing to test new innovations on their car before they take off for Dallas. Yes, Team Solar Flare is getting ready to storm the competition!
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FEATURED WISH LIST ITEMS
Consider making an in-kind donation to Boys & Girls Clubs. We update this section of our eNewsletter each month with the most relevant items our Clubs need for programs and supplies. It may not seem like much, but by making a donation of goods, you are ensuring that our limited monetary donations go directly to where they're needed most.
May's Featured Items to Donate:
36" Wide Butcher Paper Rolls, Markers, Dry Erase Markers, Colored pencils, Construction Paper, Masking tape
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| To See Our Full Wish List CLICK HERE |
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