FORT SMITH – Being a part of the Northside JROTC Battalion Rifle Team taught Mekel Miller a valuable lesson about life in general.
"It really helped me realize that you have to work to get to where you want to be," Miller said. "You can't just hang out and be lazy, and get somewhere."
Miller was one of three volunteers who earned the Youth of the Year award at the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club Awards dinner recently along with Southside's Alexa Crowder and Ty Jones.
Miller represented Jeffrey Boys & Girls Club, Crowder was named from Evans Boys & Girls Club, and Jones from Goldtrap Boys & Girls Club.
There were selected based on academic excellence, community involvement, essays, interviews, public speaking and Boys & Girls Club participation.
Crowder represented Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club in Little Rock as the overall Youth of the Year and won an additional scholarship from the statewide Boys and Girls Club.
Miller helped Northside win first place at the Annual American Legion Junior Olympic Three Position Air Rifle Championship to qualify for the CMP Regional Championship. Miller was awarded the Expert Marksmanship Badge.
Miller's contribution at Jeffreys came as a result of attending the Boys and Girls Club since she was a child.
"I was with the club since I was little," Miller said. "I started with the concessions, and I was trying to be helpful. I wasn't very helpful, but I was trying. At Jeffreys, I was answering the phones, helping with the art clubs and helping the kids."
Miller also was a member of the Northside band and earned All-Region honors on flute. Her work at the Boys & Girls Club has prepared her for her future plans.
"I'm majoring in psychology and sociology," Miller said. "It will help understanding how the kids are feeling and their opinions in certain situations. Everybody has different opinions. It will help how they're thinking."
Crowder changed her plans on her college major based on her experiences as a volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club.
"I'm majoring in elementary education, which I decided on because of my work at the Boys and Girls Club," Crowder said. "I knew I liked kids to begin with but spending time with them I realized it a lot more."
Crowder had originally planned on majoring on geology.
"I changed it just this past year," Crowder said. "Originally, I was going into geology. Then I started working at the Boys and Girls Club. I'm an only child and I really liked being around other kids. That's when I started thinking teaching would be for me. I wanted to do geology since I was little, but teaching was something else that I had thought about doing."
Crowder will attend the University of Arkansas and major in elementary education. She will also be a twirler for the Razorback band, and she used that talent to help at the Boys & Girls Club.
"I'm a baton twirler, and I volunteered at the club to help some of the kids twirl," Crowder said. 'I really liked the kids, so when the position of dance coordinator open up I applied for that. I was able to do that, and I was able to spend the whole year with the kids."
Crowder discovered that one specific activity really peaked the kids' interest.
"My favorite part was when I passed out the poms before the game, and how excited the girls were and smiling and showing off their poms to everyone," Crowder said. "Sometimes, you have to come up with creative ways to get them to focus on you. I always like to ask them how their day was and what's their favorite part of the day, that seems to get them going some."
Crowder's family history of community involvement goes all the way back to her grandfather, Bill, the legendary baseball coach at Westark Junior College.
"I was never a big softball or baseball player, but I did like watching it," Crowder said. "I was around it a lot. I did softball for a little bit, and I remember being out there and getting little tips and feedback."
Crowder was also active in school as a member of the Student Council, the Senior Council, the Red Shoe Club, and was vice-president of the Spanish Honor Society in addition to her role as feature twirler.
"I just like being a part of everything," Crowder said.
Jones spent a lot of time at the Boys and Girls on the baseball field as a hitter and pitcher for the Southside Mavericks. He also spent his time there as a volunteer for the past six years.
"During the summer, I'd go in and teach the kids little things," Jones said. "I umpired and helped coach. I just wanted to give back."
Jones spent a lot of time at the Boys & Girls Club from the first grade through his recent graduation.
"It's always been a big part of my life and I just wanted to give back to the community," Jones said. "I knew the coaches and whenever I'd see them, I'd go out and help during practices. I loved giving instruction."
He remembered the impact of playing baseball as a kid and seeing a high school player come around occasionally.
"When you're in T-ball or pitching machine, and you see a high schooler come out, it's amazing," Jones said. "The height difference and just everything seems so much cooler. Giving them that experience just changes their world, it makes their day."
That experience didn't just change the kids, it also changed Jones, who signed a Letter of Intent to play baseball at the University of Arkansas at Rich Mountain in Mena.
"It's interesting," Jones said. "I'd never been around kids that much smaller than me, and so when I did it really opened my eyes to how much I could do."
VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR
Also, named the awards banquet were the volunteers of the year that included Jamey Smith of Jeffrey Boys & Girl Club, Sherman 'Stew' Guy of Stephens, Dylan Ridenour of Evans, and Daniel Romo of Goldtrap.
The selection process for the volunteers of the year allows Boys and Girls Club members to volte on the top individuals from each unit.
Over 400 volunteers are active and provide services that include mentoring, tutoring, sports, arts and fundraising.
CHAMPION OF THE YOUTH
Rod Miller was presented with the Champion of Youth Award for his outstanding involvement in the Boys and Girls Club.
He has volunteered for 34 years and has coaches several teams, helped with the garden project, fishing events, driving the shuttle van, and painted gyms at Evans.
Jason Morland, Director of Operations received the Youth Development Professional of the Year for the State of Arkansas for his dedicated 30 years of service to the Clubs. Sam Sicard, Chairman of the Board of Directors, received the Board Member of the Year Award for the State of Arkansas for his steadfast and loyal support and capital campaign fundraising. Jim Harwood, retired board of director, received the first Legacy Board Member of the Year Award for the State of Arkansas for his 52 years of service to the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club.
GRANT AND PROGRAM MANAGER
The Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club also announced on Thursday that Jennifer Burchett has been hired as the Grant and Program Manager.
"Jennifer has tremendous depth and breadth of nonprofit grant and communications experience," CEO of the FSB&G Club Beth Presley said in a press release. "She will bring to our team a new innovative lens on resource development that will help grow the mission of the Fort Smith Boys & Girls Club."
The position, previously not part of the organization's leadership team, is responsible for increasing revenue streams and enriching and building upon the current program model to better serve area youths.
Ty Jones of the Goldtrap Boys and Girls Club, seen Wednesday, May 17, 2023, was named, along with Alexa Crowder of the Evans Boys and Girls Club and Mekel Miller of the Jeffrey Boys and Girls Club, the 2023 Youth of the Year winners at the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Awards. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Alexa Crowder of the Evans Boys and Girls Club, seen Wednesday, May 17, 2023, was named, along with Mekel Miller of the Jeffrey Boys and Girls Club and Ty Jones of the Goldtrap Boys and Girls Club, the 2023 Youth of the Year winners at the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Awards. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Alexa Crowder of the Evans Boys and Girls Club, seen Wednesday, May 17, 2023, was named, along with Mekel Miller of the Jeffrey Boys and Girls Club and Ty Jones of the Goldtrap Boys and Girls Club, the 2023 Youth of the Year winners at the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Awards. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Mekel Miller of the Jeffrey Boys and Girls Club, seen Wednesday, May 17, 2023, was named, along with Alexa Crowder of the Evans Boys and Girls Club and Ty Jones of the Goldtrap Boys and Girls Club, the 2023 Youth of the Year winners at the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Awards. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Mekel Miller of the Jeffrey Boys and Girls Club, seen Wednesday, May 17, 2023, was named, along with Alexa Crowder of the Evans Boys and Girls Club and Ty Jones of the Goldtrap Boys and Girls Club, the 2023 Youth of the Year winners at the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Awards. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Mekel Miller (from right) of the Jeffrey Boys and Girls Club, Ty Jones of the Goldtrap Boys and Girls Club and Alexa Crowder of the Evans Boys and Girls Club, seen Wednesday, May 17, 2023, were named the 2023 Youth of the Year winners at the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Awards. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)
Mekel Miller (from right) of the Jeffrey Boys and Girls Club, Alexa Crowder of the Evans Boys and Girls Club and Ty Jones of the Goldtrap Boys and Girls Club, seen Wednesday, May 17, 2023, were named the 2023 Youth of the Year winners at the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Awards. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today's photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)