By: Katherine Capezza

FORT PIERCE, FL: On Friday, May 26th, Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County held their annual graduation ceremony at the Westside Club where they recognized 33 graduating Club members and staff. Joined by community leaders and Club members’ families, the organization was thrilled to celebrate all of their accomplishments and their rapidly approaching Great Futures. “Year after year, our graduating class grows and features incredibly talented, successful teens,” said Cynthia Sanchez, Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County Director of Teen Initiatives. “I am excited to see all that they accomplish in their futures and the many ways it will positively impact St. Lucie County.”

During the ceremony, Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County CEO, Will Armstead, was made an honorary graduate for recently earning his Masters in Business Administration. “It is a joy to see our very own teens and staff at Boys & Girls Clubs succeed and reach this milestone in their lives,” said Armstead. “It takes hard work and determination, but that is exactly what they did, and they have shown us that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to.”

Later in the ceremony, the audience was moved to tears when the newest Boys & Girls Clubs Morningside Club Director, Summer Melrose, received the first-ever Leedy Boyle Swart Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 presented by the Boyle family to honor the late Club Director and her passion for our community’s youth.

Rahz “The Motivator” Slaughter, Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County Program Specialist and motivational speaker used his many years of experience motivating teens to speak to the graduates about the importance of dedication and perseverance. He reminded the BGC Class of 2023 that they can do anything and encouraged them to keep telling themselves, “My dreams can and will come true because I am capable.”

To end the ceremony, Mia Morrison, two-time Florida Youth of the Year winner, was named valedictorian for the Boys & Girls Clubs Class of 2023 for her academic excellence and outstanding leadership shown both in and outside of the Clubs. Next month, Mia will be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to represent her Club, St. Lucie County, and all of Florida at the Boys & Girls Clubs Southeast Region Youth of the Year Competition. These special celebrations wouldn’t be possible without the support of local businesses. The scholarships provided to qualifying graduates were generously provided by Scott Family Management, and this year’s commencement was catered by Wawa and Jojo’s Wings located in Fort Pierce.

After this celebration, we see the importance of coming together as a community to acknowledge our youth of the Boys & Girls Clubs that their perseverance and hard work doesn’t go unnoticed but is seen as a stepping stone into their “Great Futures.”