2016 Youth of the Year

Boys and Girls Club | March 18, 2016

Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County announces The 2016 Youth of the Year Winner

Aleshia A. Johnson

Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County proudly announces Aleshia A. Johnson as the 2016 Youth of the Year. “Youth of the Year is the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County’s premier youth recognition program celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Club members. The Youth of the Year embodies the values of leadership and service, academic excellence and healthy lifestyles. “Aleshia embodies these values and we are honored to have her receive this special recognition,” said Will Armstead, Executive Director.

Aleshia A. Johnson, a junior at Fort Pierce Westwood High School, has been a member of Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County for approximately three years and attends the Infinity Unit. Aleshia is a hardworking, enthusiastic student and active in the girls’ basketball team, theater, and has maintained a 3.5 GPA since middle school. Shortly after joining the Boys & Girls Clubs, it was discovered that Aleshia is a strong leader amongst her peers, she soon became the lead Junior Staff at the Infinity Unit because of her leadership skills. Due to her independent, loveable personality Aleshia plans to attend Florida State University and pursue a career in Business with a concentration on Real Estate. Aleshia desires to become an entrepreneur. Aleshia has earned over 275 service hours serving as a Junior Staff lead on projects such as Neighborhood/ Park Clean-Ups, Police/ Fire Safety Day, Day 4 Kids, and Infinity’s Worldwide Day of Play.

As the 2016 Youth of the Year winner, Aleshia was presented with a two year scholarship to Indian River State College, a $1,000 scholarship from the Youth of the Year title sponsor, Ken & Aileen Pruitt, Mets package, an I-Pad from the Peter W. Busch Family Foundation, a sponsorship on an Honor Flight- donated by Dr. Shamsher Singh and passes to the St. Lucie County Fair. From here, Aleshia advances to the State Competition where she will compete against other county winners from around the state. From there, the state winner advances to a Regional Competition to compete against winners from neighboring states & finally, the 5 Regional Finalists travel to Washington DC in September to compete for the National youth of the Year title.

The other Youth of the Year candidates also received an I-Pad from the Peter W. Busch Family Foundation, Mets package, passes to the St. Lucie County Fair, a sponsorship on an Honor Flight- donated by Dr. Shamsher Singh & $1,000 scholarship from the title sponsor Ken & Aileen Pruitt, and Elk’s educational scholarship.

This year’s judges were led by Travis Leonard from A & G Concrete Pools. Other judges included Tom Wilkinson- Seacoast Bank, Greg Lowe – Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, Brandon Smith – Southern Eagle Distributing, Dr. Michelle Sarasola – Sarasola Dental, Shaniek Maynard – Roundtable of St. Lucie County & Heart Institute & Karla Tovar – Aztec Graphix.

This year’s sponsors were; Ken & Aileen Pruitt, Casino Miami Jai-Alai, A&G Concrete Pools, Curtis Boyd, Peter W. Busch Family Foundation, Robert J. Gorman, P.A., Bank of America, Indian River State College, Elk’s Lodge #2823, Dr. Shamsher Singh, St. Lucie County Fair Association, St. Lucie Mets, I Heart Media, St. Lucie Medical Center, Southern Eagle Distributing, Sweet Life Realty, TRAXX Entertainment, Marisol’s Photography & BRG Insurance Group, Inc.

“We want to thank our judges and sponsors that have generously given to celebrate our Youth of the Year candidates,” said Nate Spera, Board president of the Boys & Girls Clubs.

About the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County

The Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing youth with a world class Boys & Girls Club experience, assuring that success is within reach for every young person who walks through our doors, and that every Club member graduates high school with a plan for the future, demonstrating good character and citizenship and living healthy lifestyles. The Club enables all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

With sixteen locations throughout the county, the Boys & Girls Clubs programs serve a diverse group of kids age 5-18. The 3,000 members come from a variety of backgrounds. Contact the Club by calling (772)460-9918, visiting www.bgcofslc.org or by liking us at www.facebook.com/bgcofslc.