Youth of the Year
Each year the Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County selects one outstanding youth between the ages of 14 and 18 to represent our organization as our Youth of the Year. The winning Ada County Youth of the Year will win a $1,000 scholarship from Micron and will compete for the title of Idaho Youth of the Year against youth from the 5 other Idaho organizations. Should the Ada County youth win the state competition, he/she will go on to compete at the regional level and national level for a chance at more scholarships.
(Garden City, May 13, 2021) – Garden City teen, Steeve B., 18, has been named the Pacific Region Youth of the Year for Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year program. Steeve, a 10-year member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County, competed in February to become the Idaho Youth of the Year. On May 12th, Steeve competed against youth representing California, Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Utah to win the title of Pacific Region Youth of the Year.
The Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor bestowed upon an exemplary teen in recognition of their leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle. Now in its 74th year, the Youth of the Year program honors America’s most awe-inspiring young people on their path to a great future.
We are so proud of Steeve because he represents everything that we hold dear at Boys & Girls Clubs,” said Colleen Braga, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County. “We’re honored to have such an exemplary young man from Idaho representing youth from across the Pacific West at the national level.”
Steeve was born in Port-a-Prince, Haiti to parents who could not afford to raise him and his four siblings. His parents made the heartbreaking choice to put him and his younger brother up for adoption, in the hopes they would have a chance for a better life. The boys lived in uncertainty in an orphanage for three years, when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti and changed their lives forever. Three days later, Steeve and his brother received the unexpected news that they were being adopted by a loving family from the United States.
As the winner of the Ada County and Idaho Youth of the Year competitions, Steeve has amassed $22,000 in scholarships thanks to the Micron Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the Lincoln Family Education Foundation. As the Pacific Region Youth of the Year, he will receive an additional $20,000 and will move on to compete against five other youth from across the country for the honor of becoming the National Youth of the Year. The winner of the national title will receive a $50,000 scholarship along with a brand-new car thanks to Toyota, a national sponsor of the program.
Biondolillo has big plans for his future. He will use his scholarship funds to obtain a business degree at Northwest Nazarene University. Among his many goals is a trip back to Haiti to assist in rebuilding a country that has continued to struggle since the 2010 earthquake.
“The Club has shaped a lot of who I am today and the man that I plan to be in the future,” Biondolillo says. “My Club is part of a strong foundation,” he continued, “one built on leadership, teamwork, and service to others. And while my life may change, I will not be moved anywhere else but forward.”