Paige MacKenzie was recently named Youth of the Year by the Redmond/Sammamish Boys & Girls Club.
The program honors service to the club, community and family, academic performance, moral values, life goals, poise and public speaking ability.
Throughout the year, each Boys & Girls Club in King County selects a Youth of the Quarter, and a Youth of the Year is selected from those candidates. The other finalists were Taylor Dixon, Molly Hart and Alex Lambert.
“It is an honor, and I am really excited to go on and represent all the amazing people that work at and attend the Redmond/Sammamish Boys & Girls Club,” MacKenzie said.
A senior at Eastlake High School, she will attend Western Washington University next fall to pursue a career in nursing.
MacKenzie has been a member of the club for the past 10 years, and her first club experience was as a member of the before- and after-school child care program at the McAuliffe Elementary site. From there, she graduated into the teen program, spending her summers going on daily field and camping trips.
MacKenzie has been a member of the Redmond/Sammamish Keystone Club, a high school service and leadership group, for the past two years and was helped grow its membership. She has also worked as a Boys & Girls Club employee in the athletic and child care departments.
The judges for the competition were Mari Greshowak, community member and Club volunteer; Lynne Handlos, Recreation Coordinator for the City of Sammamish; Redmond/Sammamish Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors President Kristin Pitt; and Debbie Williams, co-chair of the Joshua P. Williams Foundation.
“It was an extremely difficult decision,” Pitt said. “Each finalist is a passionate, well-spoken, talented individual who has done and we have no doubt will continue to do great things as a leader in their community.”
MacKenzie now moves on to the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County Youth of the Year competition where she will compete against winners from the 13 other King County clubs.
The annual event will be held on Feb. 9, 2012 at Benaroya Hall.
The King County winner will move on to the state competition and potentially the regional and national level.
The national Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year receives up to a $50,000 scholarship and is installed by the President of the United States.
