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Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui names Youth of the Year

Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui Chief Executive Officer Kelly Pearson (left) and Director of Operations Maurice Bajon (right) congratulate the 2017 Youth of the Year Amanda Caires. Caires represented the Makawao clubhouse.

Amanda Caires, a 16-year-old sophomore at King Kekaulike High School, was selected as the 2017 Youth of the Year for Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui on March 15 during the Gene and Ruth Freedman Youth of the Year event held at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

Caires represented the Makawao clubhouse, where she has been a member for six years. She plans to attend college for a degree in communications and graphic web design and to pursue a career as an art director.

Five candidates were chosen to represent Maui clubhouses for this annual event that recognizes exceptional teen members who embody the values of leadership, service, academic excellence and healthy lifestyles.

The other candidates were Talia Jenkins (Lahaina clubhouse), Makana Nae’ole (Paukukalo clubhouse), Toby Plunkett (Haiku clubhouse) and Leah Young (Central clubhouse). All of the candidates received scholarship funds made possible by the Eugene and Ruth Freedman Family Foundation.

The teens were judged based on their application packets that included three essays, school grades and letters of recommendation, as well as interviews with a panel of judges and a speech presented during the Youth of the Year event.

This year’s judges were Napua Banks, Rick Freedman, Jack Gray, Mandy Moikeha and Carol Reimann.

Mayor Alan Arakawa, a speaker at the event, praised the candidates for their pursuit of education and their contributions to the Maui community.

Gene and Ruth Freedman were philanthropists and friends to the Boys & Girls Clubs national movement. Rick Freedman, a judge at this year’s event, is their son and is continuing their legacy of dedication to Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui.

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