Four members of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield – Shanice Ayala, Rachel Bilodeau, Lina Borges and Katherine Shaughnessy – were the final four candidates for the club’s highest honor and, at a banquet Wednesday evening at Tekoa Country Club, Shaughnessy was named the 2012 Amelia Ferst Memorial Youth of the Year.
Kellie Brown, the director of operations at the club, explained the rigorous process involved in the competition and said that each candidate must complete a ten-page information packet, to be considered.
Included in the packet are two essays that must be written by each candidate, one about what the club means to the candidate and a second about the importance of post high school education.
The candidates are judged, on the basis of the packets completed, by a panel of judges which was comprised, this year, of Jim Brown, Todd Cieplinski, Sharon Czarnecki, Paul Nunez and Adam Wright.
Shaughnessy, 18, said “I grew up at the club” where she has been a member for ten years and, despite her status as a high school senior with a full-time job, has logged 360 volunteer hours at the club in the past year.
A Westfield Vocational-Technical High School student, Shaughnessy participates in a co-operative education program at Hamilton Sunstrand as a tool design engineer and plans to attend Springfield Technical Community College in the fall to study manufacturing before transferring to Western New England University to earn an engineering degree.
She said “It’s hard to think I have no idea where I’ll be next year” after relying for years on the club where “there’s always somebody there I can turn to.”
“The last ten years (at the club) have made me what I am” she said.
Cieplinski, who spoke for the judges at the ceremony, said of the four candidates, “In our eyes, and everyone here, you’re all winners … and it’s very hard for us to select one of you to walk away this evening with this award.”
Ayala has been a member of the club for eight years and called it “a crucial part of my adolescence.” She recalled the programs, seminars and trips she has participated in as a club member that provided, she said “many opportunities and experiences I otherwise would not have had.”
She took time to thank all the members of the club staff “who helped me gain the confidence and courage I have in myself.”
Bilodeau, a nine-year member of the club, said that in her younger years “I was not the most well-behaved kid and, thankfully, Kellie decided not to kick me out.”
She said “I can honestly say that I don’t know what my life would be without the club because it’s such a big part of it” and said she hopes to be able to give back to the club and the club kids “so that they will get a chance to get everything that I got when I was there.”
Borges has been a member of the club for three years after moving to New England from Puerto Rico four years ago. Not only has she become fluent in English, she has learned to speak French because traveling in France is one of her goals.
She said “I found the club and my life changed forever.” She said she was welcomed “with open arms” and “made many friend that I now consider my family” in “a place where children can forget their problems … and just have fun.”
As the Youth of the Year, Shaughnessy will receive a $500 scholarship for her higher education from the club and Adam Wright, president of the Westfield Kiwanis Club, announced that the Kiwanians would award her an additional $500 scholarship.
The Kiwanis Club was instrumental in founding the Boys Club in Westfield and it continues to be the primary focus of Kiwanis Club efforts on behalf of children in Westfield.
One of the Kiwanis Club members, Bruce Turcotte, will provide a $100 scholarship for each of the finalists who were not chosen as the Youth of the Year.
Each of the finalists received proclamations from State Sen. Michael Knapik, State Rep. Don Humason and Mayor Daniel M. Knapik.
Shaughnessy will next compete in a state level youth of the year competition and will hope to be one of four finalists who will travel to Washington when the winner of the national contest is announced in the Oval Office.
During the dinner, sponsored by the Sardinha family, who own several Dunkin Donuts restaurants in the city, Bill Parks, the executive director of the club, noted the passage of Al Ferst, a major benefactor of the club, and asked for a moment of silence.
Barry “Bo” Sullivan, the president of the club’s board of directors, announced that the recent addition to the club building is complete.
“The building is done” he said and thanked the efforts of the capital campaign’s four co-chairwomen, Holly Amanti, Patti Andras, Tricia Knapik and Lisa Sullivan.
He said, although contributions will still be accepted if anybody is moved to donate to the building fund, that the campaign will be completed in September.
Another donation to the club was announced at the banquet and officers of the Westfield Spanish-American Association, Wil Rodriguez, president, and Ed Diaz, vice president, presented a ceremonial $10,000 check.
Rodriguez said that the contribution is intended to provide for scholarships and program fee assistance for Latino members of the club.
Half of the donation may be used immediately and the other half is to be invested as an endowment to provide benefits in perpetuity.
