Kids Night Out 2010
Kids Night Out 2010 with Michael Douglas on February 24 was another star-studded evening for the Boys & Girls Clubs at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center!
Mr. Douglas thrilled the adults in attendance as well as our Club kids with his gracious, funny and friendly demeanor. He even surprised us that evening by jumping in as a "Fan of a Kid" and making a wonderful monetary donation to the Clubs before joining the over 850 guests in the ballroom for a lively interview with Valissa Smith. He had quite a few fun and interesting stories to share, as those of you who attended can attest.
In addition, for the first time this year, 50 Club youth enjoyed the entire evening (including dinner) in the ballroom with all of the adults, and were featured throughout the night in various portions of the program. Our five Youth of the Year finalists (see above, at right and below) were featured speakers and our other kids helped with everything from the door prize drawing to auction spotting. They were excited to really be involved this year and had a great time!
Earlier that day, Mr. Douglas made a stop at our Wyandotte County Unit where he toured the facility and visited with Club youth, sharing stories and answering all manner of questions. He was very impressed with our youth and facilities and couldn't believe how many members the Clubs are able to serve each year! He certainly saw how GREAT our Club kids are!
The best part is that the Boys & Girls Clubs were able to raise over $567,000 for our youth programs - all of which will stay right here in Kansas City! And it was arecord single night total for the Clubs as well, with nearly $133,000 raised at the event alone!
Thank you to all of our Kids Night Out sponsors, supporters and attendees! It was a night we won't soon forget and we look forward to another exciting event in 2011!
Youth of the Year 2010
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City held its annual Youth of the Year competition on February 19. This national Boys & Girls Clubs program promotes and recognizes service that individual members provide in their Club, community, school and family. Local winners compete at the state and regional level, and the national winner is recognized annually by the President of the United States.
Each Club site selected a finalist to compete:
East Side Unit - Annitra McDonald
Hawthorne Unit - Destiny Delgado
Leslie Unit - Angela Sharpe
Thornberry Unit - Marcus Jackson
Wyandotte County - Ryan Allen
After an extremely tough and close competition, Annitra McDonald from the East Side Unit was selected as the 2010 Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City. She will now go on to compete in Jefferson City for the state title on March 30.
As mentioned above, all five of our Youth of the Year finalists participated in the program at Kids Night Out with Michael Douglas the next week, and they are featured in the photos throughout this edition. Winner Annitra McDonald is featured in the photo at the very top with Club President Dave Smith and Michael Douglas.
Days after Annitra's selection, Phil Witt (the Clubs' 2008 Role Model of the Year) from Fox 4 taped a segment for his "Reaching 4 Excellence" series featuring Annitra as she begins her quest for the state title. The interview will air on March 24 at 9:00 pm, March 25 at 8:00 am and 5:00 pm and on March 28 at 7:00 am and 9:00 am. So tune in to Fox 4 to catch this great feature on Annitra!
Annitra and all of our other Youth of the Year finalists are shining examples of what incredible youth we serve at the Clubs! These teens are going places and the Clubs are helping inspire these youth to live out their greatest dreams!
