Selected among several local outstanding teens, Emily Vargo has been named Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. The Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor bestowed upon an exemplary young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence, and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle. Now in its 76th year, the Youth of the Year program honors our nation’s most awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures.
“Emily exemplifies all of the attributes that a Youth of the Year should exhibit,” says Shaye Roscoe, Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. “We are so proud of her and could not have selected a better representative of our Boys & Girls Club.”
Emily came to our Club as a ten-year-old relocated from Virginia after her parents’ divorce. She was struggling through the pains of a new home and school on top of estrangement from her father when she joined us and surprised herself by gradually participating in the programs. It was the start of her path to personal growth and she is now competing for the Connecticut Youth of the Year title.
In preparation for the state competition, a panel of local community members met to interview Emily and provide feedback. Jimmy Tickey, District Director for Congressman Jim Himes; Patrick Charmel, President and CEO of Griffin Hospital; Chaz from WPLR’s Chaz & AJ show; Patricia Tarasovic, Community Engagement & Strategy Consultant; and Oxford First Selectman George Temple, spent an evening with Emily, reviewing everything from her public speaking skills and poise down to the grammar and presentation of her Youth of the Year candidate application. Over the course of the next year, Emily will represent the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley at community and Club events.
For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit www.youthoftheyear.org.
For more information about the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley, visit https://BGC-LNV.org.