Two Cactus Shadows Students Honored as 2013
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale Youths of the Year
Contact: Andrea Omer
480-344-5683 (office) | 480-628-6800 (cell)
aomer@bgcs.org
Cactus Shadows sophomore Dani Haboush and junior Alexa Jenouri have been named 2013 Youths of the Year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale’s Vestar and Thunderbirds branches, respectively.
In addition to representing their branches as Youths of the Year for the next 12 months, both teens were honored at the 2013 Celebrate Youth Gala and Auction, which took place on Saturday, March 9 at Talking Stick Resort and Casino, each receiving a $1,000 scholarship from General Dynamics C4 Systems and Google tablets from NPCE Technology Solutions.
“As we go through our lives, we go through different smiles. Toothless, gap-toothed, full of braces, bright and shiny,” said Haboush when she addressed the more than 600 local business and civic leaders at the gala. “We shed smiles of excitement, joy, trust, love, and hope. For me, the most important one is hope. I feel that hope can take you miles and miles down winding roads and soaring through the bright blue skies. The Boys and Girls Club has given me just that; a positive outlook and a smile on my face.”
Haboush, who has been a member of the Vestar branch for nearly six years, is a dedicated local fundraiser and volunteer active in many Club programs, including:
• Junior Staff Career Development, which provides teens 14-18 hands-on work experience to teen members at the Club while developing their interpersonal skills, a strong work ethic, a sense of community engagement.
• Money Matters, which promotes financial responsibility and independence among middle and high school Club members by building their basic money management skills.
• The Keystone Club, which focuses on community service including volunteering monthly at a local food bank and assisting with homeless shelters
• What’s Hip, which is an eight-week program for high school girls covering issues such as relationships, drug and alcohol use, self-esteem, and fashion, among others.
She will use her scholarship toward her dream of attending the University of Arizona and becoming a child psychologist when she graduates from Cactus Shadows.
“With kids like Dani, it is clear why our Vestar Branch was chosen from nearly 4,000 chartered clubs as the top branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 2012,” said Steve Davidson, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.
“I remember walking through the big, swinging doors of The Thunderbirds Boys & Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale, not understanding what it was,” said Jenouri at the Celebrate Youth Gala. “Until that point, I had assumed it was simply a program for children in a building with a large gymnasium. I was entirely wrong. Yes, it is an after school program. Yes, it has a large gymnasium. But, it was so much more.”
Jenouri, who was born in Germany, has been a member of the Thunderbirds branch for nearly eight years and is also active in Keystone, Junior Staff Development and other programs, including:
• Leaders in Training, which allows members ages 11-15 to volunteer and learn basic job responsibilities and work habits during summer months as unpaid staff assistants.
• Special Club Events, which has allowed her to assist in planning of holiday activities, car washes and art room projects.
She will use her scholarship toward her dream of attending the University of Chicago and becoming an orthopedic surgeon when she graduates from Cactus Shadows.
The Youth of the Year program has been an integral part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for more than 60 years and is the highest honor given to members of the organization.
The girls’ seven fellow branch Youths of the Year were also rewarded during the gala. They included:
• Ariana Alvez, senior at Desert Mountain High School and Youth of the Year representing the Virginia G. Piper Branch, which is located in Scottsdale
• Jessica DuBois, junior at Arcadia High School and Youth of the Year representing the Hartley & Ruth Baker Branch, which is located in Scottsdale
• Samantha Elder, sophomore at Fountain Hills High School and Youth of the Year representing the Mary Ellen & Robert McKee Branch, which is located in Fountain Hills
• Amari Gonzales, junior at Westwood High School and Youth of the Year representing the Lehi Branch, which is located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
• Marissa Masters, junior at Saguaro High School and Youth of the Year representing the Rose Lane Branch, which is located in Scottsdale
• Kristofferson Walker, junior at Seligman High School and Youth of the Year representing the Hualapai Branch, which is located in Peach Springs
• Lane Yazzie, sophomore at Salt River High School and Youth of the Year representing the Red Mountain Branch, which is located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
2013 Gala Title sponsors were Tiffany & Bosco and Great American Title, with other major sponsors including General Dynamics C4 Systems, Republic Services, Go Daddy, Talking Stick Resort and Casino Arizona.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale provides 16,000 Valley children and teenagers with a positive, supervised and fun environment to explore the power of their potential. The Clubs offer more than 100 youth development programs emphasizing five core areas including: the arts; character and leadership development; education and career development; health & life skills; and sports, fitness and recreation. The organization’s nine branches and eight outreach sites are located in Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, Salt River Pima-Maricopa and Hualapai Indian Communities and other Northeast Valley neighborhoods. For more information, visit www.bgcs.org.
