25 Mar Shining the Spotlight
Post from Zynger Event Designs’ February 2014 Newsletter:
With the start of a new year, most Angelinos find themselves right in the middle of another awards season, in one way or another. Many publicists are scheduling interviews, designers are dying to drape their creations on hot new actresses and event planners are rolling out the red carpets.
This year, Zynger Event Designs is taking the red carpet to a new kind of awards ceremony with the Boys & Girls Club’s Youth of the Year Awards at the Nokia Theatre on March 19th. This event will provide scholarship funds and mentorship opportunities for two club members, selected out of 26 B&G clubs in the Greater Los Angeles area.
Zynger Event Designs will also be producing another fabulous educational summit for the Aspen Challenge, an organization that provides a platform, inspiration, and tools for young people to design solutions to some of the most critical and complicated problems today. The challenge will culminate in an awards reception for a winning group of particularly innovative and motivating teenagers.
And as always, Zynger Event Designs is proud to work with Equality California, the largest statewide LGBT advocacy organization in California, working to secure full and lasting equality for and acceptance of LGBT people. This year, the first of five dinner receptions that EQCA holds throughout the state will kick off in Sacramento on March 10th.
With so many awards shows this season, Zynger Event Designs wanted to shine the spotlight on the Youth of the Year Awards with a brief Q&A session with the LA County Alliance Executive Director, Mary Hewitt.
Hi Mary! Tell us a bit about your background and what lead you to the Boys & Girls Clubs.
My background is in public relations and marketing for profit and non-profit organizations. I was immediately drawn to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America when I learned about the fantastic programs they have for kids of all socio-economic backgrounds. I actually had assisted in the marketing and media for the Youth of the Year event of 2012 at the request of a friend and ended up being asked if I would be interested in interviewing for the position.
Youth of the Year is an exciting event and a very special one for the youth participating; can you tell us what makes this event, and particularly this year so special for the youth?
I think it is a culmination of all that they strive to learn and to become. It is the embodiment of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America core values – academic achievement, community service, character, health and fitness. This year’s event has a theme of “Rising Stars” with a Hollywood component. Our event is being held at AEG’s Club Nokia which makes it that much more special.
I think it is also special because it is so deeply personal amongst the Youth of the Year nominees. They overcome so much to become someone who is admired and a role model for others. They stay true to striving to be the best they can be without getting distracted or letting their past and their challenges define them. What defines them is their determination, positive outlook and being inspired and an inspiration!
Can you tell us about some of the achievements of past awards recipients or past club members?
Sure! Here is an example of one of our Alliance Clubs YOY finalists:
Yossymar Rojas
Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Pacific Region: Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley helped give Yossymar Rojas the strength to defy the odds in a community where drugs, alcohol and gangs were a constant concern. Yossymar steered clear of those influences, becoming not only the first in his family to graduate high school, but also class valedictorian. While concentrating on his education, he found time to coach soccer, mentor younger Club members, lead the Keystone Club to national community service recognition and volunteer regularly at a local food pantry. Now at the University of California, Irvine, he plans to major in biomedical engineering
What other projects do you and B&G Los Angeles Alliance have in the mix right now?
We have many exciting projects and events! We are working with various organizations to place their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) programs in our Clubs like Jr. CEO’s, X Prize, I.am.Angel.Foundation, and iridescentlearning among others.
The Alliance is also holding a TEEN SUMMIT, STEM Part 2 with STEAM Roundtable, and Teen Health Clubs which are similar to Town Halls but focusing on Life Skills and Obesity and Diabetes (which is a big issue for children in Los Angeles).
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.