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Youth of the Year

Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield Announces 2023 Youth of the Year

Finn O’Gara

MARSHFIELD, MA… Finn O’Gara, a senior at Marshfield High School, has been named the  Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield’s 2023 Youth of the Year.  
 
“Youth of the Year” is the highest honor bestowed upon Boys & Girls Club members. A Youth of the Year candidate embodies the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s three priority outcome areas of Academic Success, Good Character and living a Healthy Lifestyle. The National Youth of the Year serves as a role model and spokesperson for America’s youth. They educate millions of Americans about the power of the Club Experience and elevate the national focus on key issues facing children and teens.  
 
“We were very impressed with all of our Youth of the Year finalists and recognize their dedication, efforts and leadership,” said Jim Bunnell, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield. 
 
This year, the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield had 10 individuals nominated for Youth of the Year. Of those 10, seven accepted their nomination and six wrote anonymous essays on how the Club has impacted them. The leadership team determined four finalists based on those essays: Matt Roosevelt, Caitlin Scully and Finn O’Gara of Marshfield and Mike O’Malley of Duxbury. The finalists were interviewed by a panel of community and board members including Jeanine Smith, Mike Vercollone, Peter Brown and John Wilpers. The panel had the difficult decision of determining the 2023 Youth of the Year. Based on many factors and with much deliberation, they unanimously selected O’Gara. 
 
O’Gara has been working at the Boys and Girls Club since 2021 in both the After School program as After School Staff and in the Summer Camp program as Camp Counselor. He also works at the Club as an evening and weekend Front Desk Attendant for birthday and Clubhouse party option rentals. 
 
In the fall, O’Gara will be attending Bridgewater State University and majoring in Special Education. 
 
The National Youth of the Year is purpose-driven and aware of the challenges facing young people today. Under the direction of Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) staff, O’Gara along with other Youth of the Year representatives will attend state, regional and national events. They will serve as thought leaders on key issues by telling their inspiring personal stories. Potential audiences include youth, alumni, members of the media, and political, corporate and community leaders.  
 
“Finn is a terrific role model with outstanding leadership ability,” said Bunnell. “We’re pleased to honor Finn as the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield’s 2023 Youth of the Year and we wish him every success in the future.” 
 
About Youth of the Year Program 
For more than 70 years, the Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year program has honored and celebrated the nation’s most inspiring teens and their incredible journeys. Stories of outstanding leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle have made Youth of the Year America’s premier leadership and recognition program for teens. These amazing young people represent the voice and spirit of hope for America. 
 
About the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield 
The Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield’s mission is to enable and inspire all young people to realize their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens as well as become tomorrow’s capable leaders. The Club provides programming opportunities in the Boys & Girls Club of America’s (BGCA) five core areas including leadership, education, health, arts, and fitness.  The Club serves families with children ranging in age from 5 to 18 years old, and provides critical services the community needs to support children and families over the short- and long-term. For more information, visit their website www.bgcmarshfield.org or call 781-834-2582. 

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Michael Russell of Marshfield Named Boys and Girls Club “Youth of the Year”

Michael Russell, a junior at Marshfield High School (MHS), has been named the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield’s “Youth of the Year”. Russell has made a difference in the lives of members and at the Boys and Girls Club in a countless number of ways.

Russell was honored with the “Youth of the Year” award and presented with a scholarship during the Boys and Girls Club Annual Gala held last week at at the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston, MA.

Russell, who attended the Boys and Girls Club after school when he was younger, now works at the club and volunteers for special events such as the annual Polar Express and Haunted House. Russell is very much involved in several of the club’s programs, in particular with the Triple Play Program, which helps club members get the exercise they need for good health; play sports and learn the value of good sportsmanship. As a short stop for MHS Varsity Baseball team and a Line Backer for MHS Varsity Football, Russell brings the skills he learns from his coaches to the kids at the Boys and Girls Club.

He is an active member of the Keystone Club which focuses on leadership development and service to the club and community as well as the Money Matters Program. Russell also helps members who are struggling with academics with their homework.

“Michael is really an amazing teen who truly cares about club members. Because he is a former member who grew up attending our programs, Michael is better able to relate to the kids because he has a good understanding of the challenges they face in school, in sports and socially. He has great leadership ability and is someone they can relate to and look up to. We’re delighted to honor Michael as ‘Youth of the Year’ because it’s well deserved. We wish him every success in the future,” said Kathleen Newcomb, Director of Programs and Operations.

Russell plans to attend college after graduation and is considering majoring in Criminal Justice, but has not yet decided upon a school.

The Boys and Girls Club

The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield provides a safe haven for recreation and fun, which includes a variety of supervised activities for the 1,300 current members and is available to youth (between the ages of 6 to 18 years old) within the town and surrounding communities. The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield has five Core Areas: Character and Leadership; Education and Career; Health, Sport Fitness Recreation and Life Skills; The Arts; and Technology. These Core Areas serve as the foundation for all programming.

As a privately-funded, non-profit organization, the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield relies tremendously on the generous philanthropic support of individuals. Financial gifts assist in providing the financial strength necessary to continue the club’s mission “to enable and inspire all young people to realize their full potential as productive and responsible citizens, as well as become tomorrow’s capable leaders.”

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield, please contact (781) 834-CLUB (2582) or visit the club in Library Plaza or the website at MarshfieldBoysAndGirlsClub.com. The club’s mailing address is P.O. Box 311, Marshfield, MA 02050.

Michael Russell - Youth of the Year
Michael Russell honored at Boys and Girls Club Gala

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Boys and Girls Club to Host Caricature Artists Mat Brown & Sue Petersen at Gala on March 6th

The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield will host caricature artists Mat Brown of Scituate and Sue Petersen of Rockland at their annual Gala on March 6th.

 

Brown, who is best known as the cartoonist who creates Building #19’s prize winning advertising, and Petersen, a professional graphic designer, commercial illustrator and Mass College of Art graduate who has been drawing since childhood, will star at the Boys and Girls Club’s gala drawing caricatures for attendees.


Last year, the duo turned out 40 caricatures over the course of the evening. Those who sat for the artists were excited to pose with their spouses, groups of friends or by themselves and take home a ready-to-frame piece of art that captured their unique physical attributes.


“Many people came up to me during last year’s gala to show me their caricature and said they were just thrilled with the humorous portrayal of themselves. My husband David and I were drawn and it’s now framed and hanging in our Marshfield office,” noted Pam Snell of American Computer Technologies who is a member of the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors and gala co-chair.


According to Petersen, “I have done portrait work as well, but people really get more joy out of the caricatures and can laugh at what they perceive as their ‘flaws’ instead of obsessing over them.”


The Boys and Girls Club Gala will be held from 6 to 11 p.m., on Saturday, March 6th at the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston. For tickets, contact Shawn Costa, Director of Development at the club (781) 834-1300 (ext. 277). Tickets are $100 each or $1,000 for a corporate table for 10. For more information visit marshfieldboysandgirlsclub.com.


The Annual Gala

The Boys and Girls Club Gala is a major fundraiser for the privately funded, non-profit club and this year more than 350 people are expected to attend. Marshfield Selectman and Town Moderator Jim Robinson and his wife Maureen will be honored for their support of and dedication to the Boys and Girls Club and families in the area and the “Youth of the Year” will be presented with a scholarship.


The Gala promises to be dazzling with lively entertainment, caricature artists, hors d’oeuvres and dinner.  Silent and live auctions will be held featuring items such as a weekend on Martha’s Vineyard with golf for four; a Dell Notebook and printer; an African Safari for two; a one-week stay at a condo in Treasure Island, FL; a wine pairing dinner for eight; architectural services for an addition or renovation; a four-hour pontoon boat trip for four; a BBQ for 30 and Red Sox tickets.


Major sponsors for the event include Rockland Federal Credit Union and Tiny and Sons Glass.


The Boys and Girls Club

The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield provides a safe haven for recreation and fun, which includes a variety of supervised activities for the 1,100 current members and is available to youth (between the ages of 6 to 18 years old) within the town and surrounding communities. The Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield has five Core Areas: Character and Leadership; Education and Career; Health, Sport Fitness Recreation and Life Skills; The Arts; and Technology. These Core Areas serve as the foundation for all programming.


As a privately-funded, non-profit organization, the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield relies tremendously on the generous philanthropic support of individuals. Financial gifts assist in providing the financial strength necessary to continue the club’s mission “to enable and inspire all young people to realize their full potential as productive and responsible citizens, as well as become tomorrow’s capable leaders.”


For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Marshfield, please contact (781) 834-CLUB (2582) or visit the club in Library Plaza or the website at MarshfieldBoysAndGirlsClub.com. The club’s mailing address is P.O. Box 311, Marshfield, MA 02050.


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