Kai Sam was named “Jr. Youth of the Year,” at Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast’s Annual Dinner. Youth of the Year is the Boys and Girls Club’s premier recognition program for club members, promoting service to club, community and family; academic success; strong moral character; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability. The program is used as a year-round tool for fostering young people’s character, personal growth and leadership qualities. Kai is a member at the Boys & Girls Club in Milton and he had the opportunity to share his story with everyone at the Annual Dinner: “The Boys and Girls Club has also helped me to be a good student. Last year when I was in Kindergarten I was really bored in school. After a while I started not liking school so much. Soon my teacher started giving me extra work to do to help keep me busy. While I was at the Boys and Girls Club, Mr. Al helped me with the extra stuff my teacher gave me to do and with his help I was able to learn over 600 sight words last year. He even started teaching me my times tables. Mr. Al helped me to get so far ahead in school that I was able to skip a whole grade. School is so much better now that I am in the second grade. This year I have been on the honor roll the whole year as well.
The thing I like best about the Boys and Girls Club is the special community service projects that we get to do. My favorite field trip we went on was to help make baskets of food for people that needed it during the holidays. That trip helped me learn how much fun it is and how good it feels to be able to help other people.
The Boys and Girls Club is an awesome program that really helps a lot of kids. I am so glad that it came to my area. The Boys and Girls Club has helped me to become a good student, make good friends and be a good person.” – Kai, Age 7
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Boys and Girls Club of Emerald Coast present Jr. Youth of the Year award