The Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis (BGCI) honored three members, including one who will go on to a state-wide competition, at its Youth of the Year award celebration March 6. The Youth of the Year competition is meant to honor members who share their story of how the club impacted their lives.
Elijah Leonard, a junior at Ben Davis High School who has attended the LeGore Boys and Girls Club for about five years, was the High School Youth of the Year. Leonard grew up seeing his father verbally and physically abuse his mother. Seeing the toll abuse had on his mother eventually had an effect on Leonard, who said he went from being a good elementary school student to depressed and anxious in middle school.
“Those feelings of depression just kind of hit, and I was just in a hole,” he said. “I wasn’t doing good in school anymore. I wasn’t participating in any sports. I just kind of lost myself.”
Leonard is a staff member now, running programs for 8- to 10-year-olds, a challenge that he said has been rewarding since his dream is to open an athletic training facility for youth. Before becoming a staff member, Leonard volunteered at the Boys and Girls Club and told the crowd in attendance during his acceptance speech that was the “turning point in my life.”
Leonard will get a chance to keep telling his story to larger audiences. He moves next to a state-wide competition and could continue on to regional and national levels.
BGCI also honored Ariel Holmes as its Elementary Youth of the Year and Christian Herron as its Middle School Youth of the Year.
Holmes, a fourth-grader at Liberty Park Elementary School in Warren Township who attends the Liberty Park Boys and Girls Club, said she enjoys the career sessions at her club and was especially interested in learning about marine biology.
“They always see that I’m accepting people and that when somebody’s feeling sad I make them feel better,” Holmes said of why she was deserving of the honor. “I think they just thought I was a really good person.”
Herron, an eighth-grader at Raymond Park Middle School in Warren Township, has attended the Raymond Park Boys and Girls Club for about two years. He said one of his best qualities is leadership, which he’s shown at the club by helping younger students. Herron is the president of the National Junior Honor Society and said he wants to go into engineering after school.
“It makes me happy, super proud,” Herron said of the honor. “Kind of like America after the War of 1812, pride and happiness. … It’s always a nice feeling to be awarded and honored.”
Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick.
Christian Herron (left), an eighth-grader at Raymond Park Middle School, was honored by the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis as its Middle School Youth of the Year. He accepted his award from BGCI board member Lisa Osterman (right).
