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Boys
& Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) honored five-time World
Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Boys & Girls Club alum,
Evander Holyfield, with the Champion of Youth Award
at their annual Great Futures Gala, November 4, at the
Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills. Andrew R. Tennenbaum,
President of Flashpoint Entertainment and a member of BGCA’s
Board of Governors and Tim Wennes, West Coast President of
Union Bank and a BGCA National Trustee co-chaired.
The more than 450 guests
were ushered into the event to the musical dance routine of
Molodi and Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica’s Mar Vista
Gardens Steppers, kicking up their heels before the
evening’s host, Boys & Girls Club alum, actor, comedian and
writer JB Smoove took to the stage, recounting his own
experiences with the organization as a former member of the
Mount Vernon, New York Club.
Jim Clark, president and CEO
of BGCA stressed the social and economic importance of the
organization, noting that today, “There are 15 million kids
and teens living in poverty and nearly 11 million leave
school every day with no place to go. The result,” he
continued, “20 percent of America’s youth fail to graduate
high school and for minority and low-income youth, it’s
nearly 50 percent. That’s where this organization comes in,
when nearly four million kids enter Club doors at 4,200
locations around the country and the world, their lives are
changed forever.” According to Clark, 54 percent of alumni
credit Boys & Girls Clubs with saving their lives.
Giving moving firsthand
accounts of how Boys & Girls Clubs had inspired and
motivated them, were three Club members, Daniela S.
(Northwest Military Youth of the Year), Emily C. (Pacific
Youth of the Year) and Whitney S. (National Youth of the
Year). Youth of the Year is BGCA's premier recognition
program for Club teens and the National Youth of the Year
title is the highest honor a Club member can receive,
representing the voice of four million Club youth.
Fostering the ability to
dream big, other notable Boys & Girls Club alumni, including
Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, actor Martin Sensmeier and
former NBA player and current FOX Sports Big Ten anchor Jim
Jackson spoke about how the Clubs had encouraged them to
dream and how those dreams were eventually fulfilled. They
were joined by current Club members who identified their own
dreams and the confidence to believe in them coming true.
BGCA National Spokesperson
Denzel Washington presented the 2015 Champion of Youth
Award to Evander Holyfield, the only five-time World
Heavyweight Champion. Growing up in Atlanta, Holyfield took
boxing lessons as a child at a local Boys & Girls Club,
participating in Golden Gloves competitions in the early
1980s. In 1984, he won a National Golden Gloves
Championship and went on to receive a Bronze Medal as part
of the U.S. Olympic team. Following the Olympics, Holyfield
turned professional, winning the World Boxing Association (WBA)
World Cruiserweight title in 1986. Training to become big
enough and strong enough to compete as a heavyweight
fighter, he first captured the Heavyweight Champion of the
World title in 1990, defeating James “Buster” Douglas.
Following his defeat to Riddick Bowe in 1992, he recaptured
the title when he defeated Rowe in a 1993 rematch. After
overcoming health challenges, Holyfield returned to the
ring, defeating Mike Tyson in their first encounter in 1996.
Holyfield credits Boys &
Girls Clubs for turning him into a man. He has donated his
time and resources to Boys & Girls Clubs and is currently
helping recruit members to the new Boys & Girls Clubs Alumni
& Friends Club, an effort that aims to engage the more than
16 million estimated Club alumni. As another away to give
back to the community, he created the Holyfield Foundation.
Holyfield strives to strengthen the lives of youth and their
families by establishing and funding programs dedicated to
their athletic, academic and spiritual development.
A highlight of the event was
a live auction featuring the training experience of a
lifetime - a one-hour boxing workout with the champ himself,
Evander Holyfield. For the less adventuresome, a
seven-night stay at Turtle Island in Fiji or a visit for two
to the FOX NFL Pregame Show also created a bidding frenzy.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of
America
For more than 100 years,
Boys & Girls Clubs of America (greatfutures.org) has enabled
young people most in need to achieve great futures as
productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than
4,100 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people annually
through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are
located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands
throughout the country and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated
Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They
provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship,
and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis
during critical non-school hours. Priority programs
emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship,
and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54
percent said the Club saved their lives. National
headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at bgca.org/facebook
and bgca.org/twitter.
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