PVAMU's Tony Spears Honored by President Obama For Work with Boys & Girls Club

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

ATLANTA--Prairie View A&M University freshman Tony Spears has been named one of five Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Regional Youth of the Year winners for 2009.  Spears is the Southwest region Youth of the Year award recipient for BGCA. Other regions include the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest and Pacific.

Being named Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive. The title recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome. Each teen receives a $10,000 college scholarship from the Youth of the Year program’s founding sponsor, Reader’s Digest Foundation. Selected from dozens of other regional finalists, these five will now advance to BGCA’s National Youth of the Year competition in Washington, D.C., in September of this year.

Susan Fraysse Russ, executive director of the Reader’s Digest Foundation said, “The Reader’s Digest Foundation believes that individuals realize their full potential through learning. For over 60 years, we have had the great honor of saluting amazing teens for their dedication to their families, Clubs and communities. It is our hope that this award will give these youth a head start on a promising and rewarding future and help them achieve their academic and career goals.”

Added BGCA President and CEO Roxanne Spillett, “All the Youth of the Year finalists offer living proof that Boys & Girls Clubs across the country are fulfilling their mission of inspiring and enabling young people. We are thankful to the Reader’s Digest Foundation for their long-time support of our Youth of the Year program and for helping Club members reach their goals.”

In addition to the $10,000 scholarship, Spears received $1,000 for winning the State Youth of the Year title.

About Tony Spears

Before discovering the Boys & Girls Club of Bellville, Tony Spears, 18, did not have any direction in his life. The oldest boy of seven children in a single-parent household, he struggled with the deaths of friends and family members, and carried a heavy heart. Fortunately, the future began to brighten when he joined the Club in the sixth grade.

He credits his Club with shaping him into an ambitious, confident young man. At the Club, he took an active role in mentoring, organizing and building positive relationships. He assisted members with their homework, and set an example for others by helping with the Club’s day-to-day operations.

Spears devoted many hours of service to his Club, high school athletic department and church. He actively participated in Toys for Tots, Operation Christmas, Salvation Army fundraisers and senior citizen outreach programs, and encouraged his younger siblings to become involved as well. In high school, he led a peer-to-peer mentoring and mediation program to help classmates in difficult situations. He also organized a self-help group to teach important life skills to young people.

Currently a freshman at Prairie View A&M University, Spears plans to pursue a career in radiology.

Featured in photo above: PVAMU’s Tony Spears, of Bellville, Texas, meets with U.S. President Barack Obama for his Boys & Girls Clubs of America Youth of the Year Award.

Photo: Courtesy of Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Tony Spears (third from the right) in the Oval Office in Washington, D.C. with President Barack Obama and other BGCA Regional Youth of the Year Award honorees.
Photo: Courtesy of Boys & Girls Clubs of America

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has helped kids "Be Great," providing hope and opportunity for those who need it most.  Today, more than 4,300 Clubs serve some 4.5 million young people through Club membership and community outreach.  Known as The Positive Place for Kids, Boys & Girls Clubs can be found throughout the country and on U.S. military bases worldwide, providing young people 6-18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. Clubs positively impact lives and help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens.  Key programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; technology training; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a recent Harris Survey of Club alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives.  National headquarters are located in Atlanta.