Boys & Girls Club Of Greenwich To Name 56th Youth Of The Year In April

GREENWICH, CT — The Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich (BGCG) will name its 2024 Youth of the Year, the highest honor a BGCG member can achieve, at its annual dinner on Wednesday, April 3, at 6 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich.

This celebration will also name the recipient of the David Ogilvy Award for Character, Kindness, and Integrity, as well as honor the 2024 Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich Champions of Youth award winners, Sally Lawrence and Chris Winham.

Greenwich’s Youth of the Year program was established in 1969 to recognize club members who give back to their club and community.

Recipients of the honor have demonstrated service to club, community, and family; academic success; strong moral character; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability.

This year, eleven stellar applicants are hoping to be named the 2024 winner: Omar Badr; Salma Badr; George Benner; Christian Dudzinski; Scott Dudzinski; Daniela Hernandez; Ryder King; Daniella Mutis; Sydney Niemynski; Jake Phillips; and Diego Silva.

The Youth of the Year honorees are shining examples and living proof that great futures start at the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich. Winners go on to vie for the Connecticut Youth of the Year title and then participate in a regional and national competition.

David Ogilvy Award for Character, Kindness, and Integrity

This award was established in 2023 to honor the memory of David Ogilvy, a long-time board member and board chair who served as the co-chair of the Club’s 2003 Capital Campaign.

Ogilvy's commitment to the club's mission was matched by his exceptional reputation and dedication to the youth of Greenwich.

The award is given to an exemplary high school club member nominated by the club’s staff as an individual who embodies David Ogilvy’s reputation of trusted character and integrity and his incomparable kindness.

2024 Champions of Youth

Also being honored at the event are the 2024 Champions of Youth, Sally Lawrence and Chris Winham.

The BGCG's Champion of Youth award is the highest honor a club supporter can achieve. The recipient is recognized as making a significant contribution of time and talent to the members and mission of the club. It is the club's honor to recognize Lawrence's and Winham’s unwavering commitment to the youth of Greenwich, especially through the club’s Scholarship Committee.

Lawrence joined the Boys & Girls Club Board 20 years ago and has been an active volunteer throughout her tenure.

Her passion at the slub has been co-chairing its scholarship committee for the last 10 years. She was the board secretary for 14 years. She has volunteered at the club's annual Thanksgiving feast, the pancake breakfast and the holiday party. She also serves as a trustee for the Greenwich Historical Society and the Florence Griswold Museum.

Winham has been a dedicated board member of the BGCG for the past 12 years.

Over the last decade, he has co-chaired the Scholarship Committee. This role, which he describes at the most gratifying of his tenure, has allowed him to witness the remarkable journey of high school seniors evolving into college graduates.

Windham also continues to serve on the Endowment Committee, a role he has held since joining the board, including a term as chairman.

Tickets for the celebration are available at bgcg.org, and a limited number of alumni tickets are also available by emailing MSmith@bgcg.org.