Katelyn Hamilton started going to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County when she was a child. Now 17, she is a member of the staff.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County, Riverside Club, has nominated Hamilton as its 2018 Youth of the Year.
Krystal Askew, program administrator at the Riverside Club, said Hamilton is preparing to participate in the Arkansas Youth of the Year competition set for March 13 and 14 at the Double Tree Hotel in Little Rock.
Askew said the Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County has participated in the Youth of the Year program for several years.
“I have been here five years, and we have had a Youth of the Year every year I have been here,” she said. “Clubs throughout Arkansas choose a local Youth of the Year, and those young people go to the state competition. From there, the state winner will go to the regional competition (scheduled for June 11 in Dallas, Texas), with the regional winner going on to the national competition in Washington, D.C.
“I think there were 12 participants in the state competition last year, but I have no idea about this year,” Askew said.
“Katelyn has completed the application process, which includes getting letters of recommendation. She has written essays on such topics as My Club Experience, My Vision for America’s Youth and My Personal Brand. She will also have to give a speech.
“We are proud of her,” said Askew, adding that she will accompany Hamilton to the state competition as her chaperone. “This has been a good experience for her.”
Hamilton has been a staff member at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County for approximately two years.
“Since she has been a member of the staff, she has just flourished,” Agnew said. “That is one reason we named her our Youth of the Year. We are really proud of her.
“If she wins, or even places, at the state competition, she will receive a scholarship,” Askew said. “The club will try to match that scholarship.”
Hamilton said she came to the local Boys & Girls Clubs “as a kid in 2010.”
“I came to the after-school program so I could take piano lessons,” she said, “but that time at the club had really made a difference in my life.”
Hamilton said she also participated in the club’s cheer program and in a national fitness program.
“I now work about 15 hours a week at the club,” she said, adding that she works after school. “I work mainly in the technology lab with the Stride Academy (part of the club’s Project Learn program). It’s a digital-game-based learning program where kids can earn coins and buy prizes (pencils and other little toys) in my shop. It’s a lot of fun.
“I also teach coding on Friday,” she said.
“It is important to me to be able to be a mentor to these kids,” Hamilton said. “It’s important for them to have someone to talk to, just like it has been important for me to have someone to talk to when I have had some tough times in my life. The club provides extra support to the kids … to me. We are like a family.
“Being named Youth of the Year is a big honor for me.”
Hamilton is a daughter of Eric Hamilton and Angie Geater, both of Benton. She is a senior at Benton High School, where she is a member of Key Club and participates in community-service projects. She plans to study nursing at college.
Askew said the Riverside Club serves approximately 400 students daily, on average.
“We can serve 600,” she said, adding that the local organization sponsors not only the Riverside Club, which is for students in kindergarten through the sixth grade, but also the Benton Teen Club for grades seven through 12; the Cedar Mountain Club at Hot Springs Village; Great Futures, which provides preschool and child care services in Hot Springs Village; and the Covenant Connections Club, which is for young people inside a juvenile facility.
Askew said many young families are now moving to Hot Springs Village, which in the past had been typically a retirement community.
“Hot Springs Village seems to be trying to attract more young families,” she said. “We are happy to be able to provide services to those families.”
Askew said the Boys & Girls Club organization is more than just an after-school program.
“Locally, we offer scholarships to Benton High School seniors who qualify, and we offer employment opportunities, too,” she said.
For more information on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Saline County, visit www.scbgclub.com or call the Riverside Club at (501) 315-8100.