Stephany Lopez named Youth of the Year
The Boys & Girls Club of Fond du Lac is proud to announce Stephany Lopez as its 2023-24 Youth of the Year.
Youth of the Year is the Club’s signature effort to foster a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy. In the 21st-century world and workplace, leadership skills such as communication, goal-setting and teamwork are essential for everyone – especially young people preparing to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood. The Youth of the Year award is the most prestigious honor that can be earned at the Club, and the winner must go through an application and interview process to be considered. The award is earned, not just given out, as the Youth of the Year plays an integral role in representing the organization as a whole throughout their year-long reign.
Lopez, a freshman at Fond du Lac High School, is incredibly deserving of this achievement. She has been a Club member since 1st grade and has always been heavily involved in both our Torch and Keystone Club programs, helping out with a multitude of local service projects and community events such as Lemonade Day, Walk to End Alzheimer’s, and Girls on the Run, to name a few. Lopez continues to be a member we can always count on and someone we know has always valued her time spent at Club.
When asked what the Club means to her, Lopez stated, “The Club is important to me because it has given me great opportunities to be the person I am today. The staff members have really helped me grow as a person and made me see life differently and better. The Club has made me feel like I can be myself and I got a ton of support from all the staff members.”
As an organization, we always do our best to establish supportive relationships with the youth that we serve. Lopez took the initiative to establish and build unique and strong relationships with all Club staff over the years. Her positive attitude and fun-loving personality has drawn many youth members and staff alike to want to connect with her every day at the Club. Lopez as an individual, along with her commitment to participating in extracurricular activities, are just a couple of the many reasons why she is most qualified to be the face of the Boys & Girls Club. Throughout this year as a freshman, she has shown her dedication to academics by succeeding in all of her classes and being an active participant in the Be Great: Graduate program. She has managed to balance her academics, time attending the Boys & Girls Club, and extracurricular activities such as athletics, with true grace.
“Stephany never fails to step in and take initiative when needed. Her drive to help others and get involved is unparalleled. I am certain that Stephany is going to continue to do great and creative things in her future. She is outgoing, courageous, dependable and dedicated in all of her pursuits. Stephany consistently seeks out ways to help in and out of the Club setting, which is a rare and impressive quality,” said Stefanie Schmude, director of member services for the Boys & Girls Club.
Since 2014, Marian University has been graciously awarding the Club’s Youth of the Year winner with a four-year scholarship to attend the university if they wish to do so. Our Club family is excited to see Lopez taking on this next step in being not only a Club member, but a leader and role model for the hundreds of other youth who walk through our doors every day. We are thrilled to work with her on building her leadership skills throughout the next year and beyond as her journey continues to unfold.
For more information about Club programs and how to become a Boys & Girls Club member, click HERE.