Fatima Fernandez

Meet Steeve Bondodillo, one of the candidates who is competing for the title of Ada County Youth of the Year!

Steeve was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 2002 where he grew up in a poor family. His parents were so poor they gave Steeve and his brother up for adoption, hoping they would have better opportunities. He and his brother stayed at the Three Angels Orphanage until a major 7.0 earthquake shook the country in 2010 and changed his life forever. After 3 nights of sleeping in a field to stay safe after the earthquake, Steeve and his brother were brought to America by their new family to start living a new and better life.

Steeve lived in Arizona for 2 years before moving to Idaho and becoming a Club member in 2012. Shy at first, Steeve credits the Torch Club program with bringing him out of his shell and sparking a passion for helping others. Steeve is always looking for ways to help around the Club. It may be something as simple as helping clean up trash or taking on a project to make the Club a more welcoming place. He loves working with the younger kids and encouraging them to live the Club values of respect, responsibility, and integrity. While at the Club he has also been involved in Power Hour, Keystone Club, Summer Hiking Club, and Junior Staff.

Steeve loves that he moved to a place with a Boys & Girls Club where he can be actively involved in making a difference and encouraging his peers to do the same. Steeve hopes to attend Boise State University after high school to pursue a degree in the medical field so he can continue helping others.

Meet Deeana Castro, one of the candidates who is competing for the title of Ada County Youth of the Year!

Deeana was born and raised in Boise, Idaho but has spent weekends and school breaks traveling to Rupert to spend time with her dad. As a second grader who couldn’t stay home alone, Deeana and her family were looking for a safe place she could go after school. A friend told her how awesome the Club was and Deeana soon convinced her mom to sign her up. She became an official member in 2010 and has been an active member since. She has always been willing to give anything a try and has developed several passions while participating in activities at the Club. Soccer has been an integral part of her experience. She has played the last 5 seasons at the Club and has been team captain for 3 of them. She credits soccer and the Club for helping build her leadership skills on and off the field. She strives to help her teammates improve on the field and demonstrates what it’s like to be a leader off the field as well by showing kindness to others and having integrity.

Apart from soccer Deeana has also been involved in Keystone, Torch Club, Power Hour, Junior Staff, and Rec Basketball. Through each of these programs she has been able to demonstrate her leadership skills and grow them with the help of Club staff. She loves to find ways to help around the Club and get her peers involved in projects to benefit her community. She is also active in her school and has played on both the volleyball and basketball team. She strives hard to do well in school and won the Presidential Award for excelling in academics in 2014.

Deeana’s leadership around the Club can be noticed daily and she continues to look for new opportunities to give back. After graduating, Deeana hopes to attend Seattle University to pursue a career helping others.