Samantha Beechie 2004 WA State Youth of the Year Samantha Beechie is a 2004 graduate of Foss High School and is currently in her second year at St. Martin’s college. She was a member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound for 13 years and continues to work in the Boys & Girls Club movement. Samantha was first selected as the Youth of the Year for her Club, the South End Branch in the winter of 2004. Then after competing against the 5 other Youth of the Year from the Al Davies, East Side, D.A. Gonyea, Lakewood and North Mason Branches, she was selected as the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound Youth of the Year. On March 30, 2004 at the Boeing Museum of Flight, Samantha became the 2004 Washington State Youth of the Year. She competed among 11 other Youth of the Year finalists from 11 Boys & Girls Club organizations throughout the state. Samantha was and is a natural leader. As a senior at Henry Foss High School, she was the caption of the girl’s varsity basketball team. She also served as a mentor for incoming freshman through the Ignite Program, a program that works closely with students to successfully integrate them into a high school campus. Samantha graduated with a 3.7 grade point average, was a member of the National Honor Society and served as a representative of the Multi-Cultural Diversified Student Association, which provided her with the opportunity to speak to youth about the importance of celebrating and appreciating diverse cultures. Samantha Beechie, who has never met her father and whose mother has been just an occasional presence in her life, knows what it is like to grow up facing difficult situations. Yet, she believes the circumstances she has faced have only made her stronger and more motivated to succeed in life. Samantha first started going to the South End branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs when she was four years old and credits the Club, which she calls her “second home,” with teaching her how to set and achieve long-term goals for the future. At the Club, Samantha served as an inspiration to staff and other youth, and continuously worked to create a fun and positive atmosphere for other members. Samantha helped younger Club members participating in the Power Hour homework program, and served as an assistant facilitator for the adult staff in the Smart Moves, Smart Girls and Junior Achievement drug and alcohol prevention programs. As part of the Youth of the Year application process Samantha was asked to write an essay entitled, “What the Club means to me”. The following is part of what she wrote. “In the shadows of my older cousin I began coming to the club without knowing if they would let me stay since I was only four years of age. Fortunately the staff allowed me to stay and the possibilities were endless. This was a family like none that I had ever known….It was those few adults (at the Club) who became ‘family’, allowing me to risk and fail, learn and succeed and offering me unconditional love. The environment became one of extended family as opposed to a staff/participant relationship….As I move into the next stage of my life I recognize that the family I have gained through the Club will still be with me as I move on. They will always be a second ‘family’ in my eyes…Grasping the opportunities that have been afforded to me I have learned how to bounce back from failure and succeed with grace. The morals and values I walk with are a result of the Boys & Girls Club.” The Youth of the Year program, sponsored by The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc, is in its 57th year. The program recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome. Youth of the Year candidates at the county, state, regional and national level are judged on Leadership Qualities and Service Exhibited through: 1. Home and Family, 2. Spiritual Values, 3. Community, 4. School, 5. Service to Club, 6. Life Goals, 7. Obstacles Overcome, 8. Essay, 9. Poise, and 10. Public Speaking. This is the third of the past five years, that Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound’s Youth of the Year has won the state title. See Samantha's winning speech video