At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s 2023 Youth of the Year dinner, seven finalists competed for the county title that provided a four-year university scholarship plus room and board from The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation. Alonza Lloyd from Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington was named the 2023 Palm Beach County Youth of the Year. The event was record-breaking as it raised $404K for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.
The dinner was held at the Hilton West Palm Beach and was the culmination of the event where the seven finalists gave a three-minute speech. The finalists were selected to represent their Club by a preliminary competition that included a comprehensive application, three essays, three letters of recommendation, and an interview in front of a panel of judges made up of:
- Hollani Davis, News Anchor with WPTV NBC-5
- Ed Dunn, Vice President, Supply Chain, Carrier Corporation
- Geeta Loach-Jacobson, Director, Outreach & Community Programming with Palm Beach County Youth Services
- Ava Parker, President of Palm Beach State College
- Glenda Sheffield, Chief Academic Officer, Palm Beach County School District
The 2023 finalists for Youth of the Year included:
- Lynnshelsie Antoine of Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton
- Frank Zamor of Boys & Girls Club of Delray Beach
- Kelvin Rolle of Florence De George Boys & Girls Club
- Kimberly Pierre of Marjorie S. Fisher Boys & Girls Club
- Eric Wilson of Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Club
- Alonza Lloyd of Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club
- Jada Lovely of Smith & Moore Family Teen Center
All finalists received a brand-new laptop from Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, a brand-new tablet from K12Print and the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, and a four-year Florida College Scholarship, provided by The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation.
“It was an amazing night as these impressive youths wowed the audience with their accomplishment, poise, and personal stories. All seven individuals perfectly exemplify the spirit of our Clubs as their hard work and dedication to succeed is inspiring. We look forward to hearing about their college successes and thank the community for celebrating these bright, young future stars,” said Jaene Miranda, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.
The sponsors included:
- The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation funded the Great Futures Champion
- Publix Super Markets Charities- Presenting Sponsor
- Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation- Presenting Sponsor
- K12Print- Presenting Sponsor
- Comcast- Presenting Media Sponsor
- Kenneth & Laura Baxter Foundation- Senior Sponsor
- Office Depot and Robert I. Goldman Foundation- Senior Sponsor
- Olympia & Brooks Bishop- Junior Sponsor
- Carrier Corporation- Junior Sponsor
- Wilder & Jason Regalbuto- Junior Sponsor
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