Celebrating our youth and their achievements – one boy and girl at a time.

Today on Indy Style, Maggie A. Lewis, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis, and Mark Fisher, Chief Policy Officer for the Indy Chamber, (and former former Club kid), share more about the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis Youth of the Year Blue Door Gala.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis:
• For 126 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis have served the Indianapolis community
• With five facility-based Clubs and five school-based sites, Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis serves nearly 6,000 youth annually
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis believes every young person deserves to live a life filled with hope and opportunity. We provide a safe, educational and positive atmosphere where members can prosper and reach their full potential
• 81% of Club members qualify for free or reduced lunch
• 52% of Club members come from single-parent households
• In order to give youth who need us most the opportunity to join, each child gets a school-year membership for only $15

Youth of the Year:
• The Youth of the Year awards are an important way of celebrating the achievements of the young people attending the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis

• Our 2019-2020 High School Youth of the Year finalists will be recognized during the Youth of the Year Blue Door Gala, with one exceptional teen being named the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis High School Youth of the Year

• Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Club member can achieve and recognizes members for their outstanding contributions to their family, school, community and Club, as well as the personal challenges and obstacles they have overcome

• Club kids often have extraordinary hardships to overcome and it is a privilege to honor them for their leadership skills and to recognize them for the positive choices they are making on their journey to adulthood

• Youth of the Year are living proof of the impact our Clubs have in transforming and providing a life filled with hope and opportunity for our kids

• It is always difficult to choose, but each site selects one Club member to represent them in the high school category. The selected youth then complete applications, write essays and participate in interviews with Board members and community partners, who are given the challenge of selecting only one high school youth to represent the organization

• The Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis High School Youth of the Year will move on to the state competition

Blue Door Gala:
• The Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis invites the community to celebrate our exceptional 2019-2020 High School Youth of the Year during our largest fundraiser of the year

• The Youth of the Year Blue Door Gala helps fund programming for the 10 Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis sites across the city

• This is the 2nd year for the Blue Door Gala and each year it keeps getting bigger!

• Guests will enjoy dinner and hear Club members share personal stories of triumph, strength and victory

• We are honored to have Club alumni Mark Fisher, chief policy officer for the Indy Chamber, and Carolene Mays-Medley, executive director of the White River State Park Development Commission and co-host of “Community Link” on WISH-TV, serve as Honorary Co-Chairs for the Gala

• Throughout the evening, guests will have an opportunity to purchase silent and live auction items in support of the Club’s mission, including a Luxury Car Experience from Coast to Coast Imports

To learn more, visit www.bgcindy.org.
Twitter: @BGCIndy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bgcindy/

When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019
VIP Reception 5 p.m.; Gala 6 – 10 p.m.

Where: Crane Bay Event Center
551 W. Merrill St., Indianapolis

Tickets are $150 for general admission and $300 for VIP. To purchase tickets visit: bgcindy.org/blue-door-gala or email events@BGCIndy.org.