NEWSLETTERS

Local youths walk away with over $26,000 in college scholarships

For many these funds make the dream of higher education a possibility

Until she heard her name called out last Tuesday night at The Salvation Army’s Third Annual Youth of the Year Scholarship Awards and Presentation Dinner, Eliana Perez didn’t have any true higher education aspirations.  The high school student admits she wanted to go to college, but because of her family’s limited resources she had all but given up on her dreams.

Instead, Perez foresaw a future for herself of helping her family make ends meet after graduation.  That all changed when, to her surprise, she was awarded third place and a $3,000 scholarship for her entry in this year’s Youth of the Year speech competition hosted by The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.  Immediately, her eyes welled up and the idea of attending a four year university became a more plausible reality.    

“Things have just been really hard lately and I never thought I’d get $3,000 to go to college.  I always just pictured myself staying at home and helping my family, but now that I have all this encouragement from The Salvation Army and their help financially I know that I can go out and actually do something,” Perez said.

Her overjoyed mother was equally as grateful.

“When they called her name and they said third place, it was just a blessing for us, and all I could do was thank the Lord for that,” she added in between tears. “A good education is what we want for our children and at this time in our lives.  Right now, finances just don’t make it possible.  This takes a huge load off of my mind.”

In its third year, the Youth of the Year Program is sponsored by The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Houston and The Boys & Girls Clubs of America.  The primary goal of the program is to provide Club members a means to further their education after graduating from high school. The Youth of the Year Program is a speech competition and winners of The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs competition presented their winning entries at the Awards Dinner held on Tuesday, January 26, 2010, at The Hilton Americas Hotel. 

In order to participate in the competition, youth must be between the ages of 12 to 18 years old and be members of The Salvation Army’s Boys & Girls Clubs.

“This year most of the former competitors from last year’s competition that are still in school returned to compete again in hopes of earning additional scholarship funds.  We are also seeing more first time competitors than ever before,” confirmed Event Chair, Judi A. McGee.

The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs serve over 5,500 children in six Clubs in the Houston Metropolitan area, and the majority of the children are from disadvantaged circumstances. 

“Many of the youth that walked away with a scholarship are longtime members of The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs…what a better way to enrich their future than by funding their higher education goals,” commented Doug Smith, Executive Director of The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Houston.

Local Houstonians and celebrities serving as the Judges for The Youth of the Year competition included Carolyn Mann, Andy Cordes, Sidney Faust, Trini Mendenhall-Sosa, Vicki West, Melanie Lawson and Ernie Manouse. The keynote speaker was Mr. Roland Smith, Associate Provost from Rice University.

Major Underwriters for The Youth of the Year Scholarship Awards Program included Carol and Gary Gartsman, JTS Enterprises, Inc., Randalls Food Market and Valence Operating Co.