(above, l-r) Sal Dovi, COO Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County; Masara S., 2020 Youth of the Year; Russell Triolo, CEO Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County
Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County Youth of the Year
Submitted by Lisa Sepetjian
Boys & Girls Club of Union County is pleased to announce our 2020 Youth of the Year winner, Masara S. Masara was chosen from seven finalists from our Union, Elizabeth and Plainfield Clubs. Masara is a 17-year-old senior at Union High School and plans to attend Norfolk State University to study child psychology. She has been a member of the Union Club for 12 years and was a member of Teen Leadership Camp, Torch Club, and currently serves as President of the Keystone Club (Teen Leadership). Under her leadership, the Keystone Club has participated in numerous service initiatives such as food drives for the Community Food Bank, Breast Cancer Walk, and fundraising for the Children’s Specialized Hospital. Masara now moves on to the Boys & Girls Clubs State Youth of the Year, where she will compete against other Youth of the Year winners in New Jersey.
“Youth of the Year is our premier recognition program for Club members. We always look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our members,” said Russell Triolo, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County. “It’s great to see our members receive recognition for all that they do.”
Masara, along with other winners in the Buddie, Spirit and Junior of the Year categories were honored on Thursday, March 5, at our Youth of the Year awards dinner at Galloping Hill Caterers. Friends and family of all the winners enjoyed a wonderful evening celebrating Club members. This year’s competition was very intense between the seven finalists. Head Judge, Kelly Webber believed that all seven finalists were winners. Our Plainfield Club had three finalists: Brianna C, Brittany C, and Divine S; our Elizabeth Club had three finalists; Sherline J, Reynaldo C, and Rashah Z, and our Union Club had one finalist; Masara S. Judging took place on Tuesday February 25, and was hosted by our partner, Bausch Health, where our Head Judge, Kelly Webber, is SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer. Other judges were Yasmine Fisher, Business Development Director at Greater Elizabeth Chamber of Commerce; Christie McMullen, President & COO of Elizabethtown Gas; Kimberly Smith, Director, Community Investment at Comcast; and Mark Kaminski, Superintendent of East Coast Operations at Phillips 66.
Summer Program registration is now open online or by visiting our Union, Plainfield and Elizabeth Clubs. Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County offers youth programs in four communities during the school year in Union County: Plainfield, Elizabeth, Union and Roselle. Teen leadership programs for ages 14-18 are available in Union, Elizabeth and Plainfield. Members participate in character, leadership, career preparation and community service activities throughout the year. Aquatics is available at our Union Club. For information on our clubs and programs, please visit our website bgcuc.org or contact us 908-687-2697.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County
Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County seek to inspire and enable young people, who need them most, to realize their full potential and have provided opportunity for youth since 1955. They are part of a national network of some 4,000 neighborhood-based facilities, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which serves more than 4.6 million young people annually, in all 50 states and on U.S. military bases worldwide. Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis for children 6-18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize leadership development, education, digital literacy and career exploration, financial literacy, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation, and family outreach.
