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GARDINER — Selected among other outstanding youth, Caleb Hudson of Gardiner has been named the Youth of the Year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley. The 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 73rd year, the program honors the nation’s most awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures.
A senior at Gardiner Area High School, Hudson and has been a club kid since he was six. He is a member of the Keystone Club, a teen group dedicated to leadership and community service, and has provided more than 2,000 community service hours as a Keystone Club member.
“When I entered its doors over 10 years ago, I really had no idea that it would become the place that it has for me,” Hudson reflected. “There comes a point that you don’t need the Club for its childcare but instead for something so much deeper than that. I come here now because I have fun here. I come because there is always room for me. I come because I am part of a steadfast family, and I come because I am a role model. I see myself in the younger kids now.”
Hudson noted the club is a safe place for kids to be and where he has learned that making mistakes is “not the end of the world,” because everyone makes mistakes.
“We are not all scholars here, and we are not all destined for an Ivy League school. That’s okay! I think what is most important to know is that at our Club we are expected to reach our full potential (in whatever capacity that may be) and along the journey we are lucky enough to develop relationships with people who make you a more mature, driven person with a deep love and appreciation for family,” he said, adding, “These lessons are unparalleled to any class or job and are absolutely key to the development of my great future.”
Hudson will go on to contend for the Maine Youth of the Year title and a $2,500 college scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America March 31. If he is named the Maine Youth of the Year, he will contend for the title of Regional Youth of the Year and will receive an additional $20,000 college scholarship. Six finalists will advance to Washington, D.C. to vie for the title of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year in September. The national winner will receive an additional scholarship of $50,000.
Learn more about the Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year @ www.bgckv.org/youthoftheyear
