By Laurie O’Brien
Four young people from across Thurston County were recently honored with “Youth of the Year” designations from Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County (BGCTC). Kate Morfitt from Olympia, Logan Macomber from Tumwater, Laura Colerick from Rochester, and Terrance Krall from Lacey were recognized by their respective Branch, and Krall was selected as the county wide Youth of the Year Award Winner.
The Youth of the Year Award was established in 1947 by Boys & Girls Clubs of America and is the premier recognition program for Club members. The award recognizes service to the Club, community and family; academic success; strong moral character; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability. Awards are given at the branch, club, state, region, and national level. As the countywide winner, Krall will now move on to the state competition.
Learn a little about each of these superstars.
Kate Morfitt
Kate Morfitt is a 6th grader at Reeves Middle School. Mike Babauta, Olympia Boys & Girls Club Branch Director has nothing but praise for his Youth of the Year winner. “Kate has been a great Club Kid. She does a great job working with our younger members especially. She has a passion for service that is rare in many of her peers, as evidenced by projects she has participated in such as the Olympia Downtown Cleanup. I wish I had 100 Kates!”
Getting homework help during “Power Hour” after school has been one of the programs Kate has benefitted from most. She has been involved with the Club since 2011.
Logan Macomber
Sixteen-year-old Logan Macomber is a junior at Tumwater High School. He says the Club has helped him to grow as a person. “My mentors taught me that if you work hard and set goals, goals can be reached. One of my goals was to make the Tumwater basketball team, and I reached this goal with the help of my mentor working personally with me after hours.”
“I also could count on my mentors to talk (with me) about anything. My dad travels a lot and it was nice to have that support. I have gained confidence and leadership skills by being a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs, and I still enjoy stopping by to hang with my mentor or just helping the younger kids. Boys & Girls Clubs made me realize that it’s important to have a safe place for kids to go to after school in our communities.”
Laura Colerick
Rochester High School junior Laura Colerick plans to give back to Boys & Girls Clubs after she graduates. “Right after high school, I plan on spending one year volunteering at a Boys & Girls Clubs in a different region through AmeriCorps.”
The 16-year-old started attending Boys & Girls Clubs the summer before sixth grade. Now she serves as a volunteer and helps mentor younger children.
“One of the activities that has had a really big impact on me is helping run the Smart Circle program for the girls at my Club. Smart Circle is a girl empowerment program we run, and I really enjoy seeing the girls grow from week to week and being a part of that positive change,” explains Colerick.
Terrance Krall
Now a senior at River Ridge High School in Lacey, Terrance Krall started attending the Lacey Branch when he was in sixth grade. Like Macomber, Krall credits the adult mentorship he received with helping him develop into a leader himself. In particular, he points to Lacey Program Director Mo Young and Branch Director Shellica Trevino as positive influences. Staff members Nate and Mike also get a shout out from Krall.
As a young member, Krall was primarily involved and influenced by the sports, fitness, and recreation programs offered through the Club. Today, in addition to playing basketball, he also is involved with his church, and he now has a part time job with BGCTC.
Krall hopes to attend a community college before transferring and earning his bachelor’s degree. In the meantime, he encourages kids to get involved. His advice to any parents or kids contemplating attending a Club meeting is to just do it. “If they come here, it will help shape them into a good person,” he insists. Krall should know, he credits the Club with changing his life.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County seeks to inspire and enable young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible citizens, by providing community-based Clubs that are safe and positive places for kids. They do this by providing a safe place to learn and grow; ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals; life enhancing programs; character development experiences; hope and opportunity.
And what better examples than kids like Morfitt, Macomber, Colerick and Krall.
For more information on Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County, click here.
