Eleven years! That’s how long Johnathan has been attending the Warren Boys & Girls Club and he loves the “feeling of happiness and family” he gets when he walks through the doors. A lot of Club kids find it to be a second home and that is definitely the case with Jonathon. Parents sometimes have to work long hours, and people like Ms. Gail – Johnathan’s favorite staff member – become the village that helps keep him on the right track.
He says, “Ms. Gail is hard-working and she knows how to communicate with kids on different levels.”
Johnathan admires Ms. Gail’s leadership and he hopes to lead just like her as the Warren Club 2017 Youth of the Year. She’s warm, firm, and fair – attributes he believes will serve him well beyond his role at the Club.
The youngest of three brothers, Johnathan was picked on as a kid. He knows what is means to be treated unfairly; so, he plans to use his platform to encourage his peers to speak up for what is right.
He has served in several character and leadership organizations, including Torch Club, a service group for middle school Club members. He has continued his record of service as president and vice president of Keystone, a community service and leadership organization for high school Club members.
Johnathan is a proponent of giving back. He believes all good leaders sacrifice to help others. Some of his biggest projects include coordinating a supply drive, hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, and helping kids with homework.
A believer that charity begins at home, Johnathan took on a summer job at his Club to help pay for his own school supplies.
Johnathan says programs at the Club helped him “build confidence” and “be brave.”
Johnathan didn’t think he would be able to get into an advanced learning program at his school, but Club staff encouraged him to do whatever he put his mind to. As a result, Johnathan tried out and got in – another big win for a once quiet, insecure child who used to let his fears stifle his growth.
Johnathan says he is proud to be blossoming into that funny, confident, and kind young man he’s always wanted to be. He says Ms. Gail and the loving staff at the Warren Club taught him well.
“What I admire must about Johnathan is his crazy sense of humor and his caring heart. He always finds something to laugh about in every situation,” said Ms. Gail. “Most importantly, he demonstrates how much he cares by the kindness he shows to everyone.”
Johnathan wants to be a teacher one day in hopes to influence the next generation of leaders to be all they can be.
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