Boys and Girls Club Announce Youth of the Year Winner [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD --The Boys and Girls Club of Central Minnesota announced their 2019 Youth of the Year winner on Saturday morning.

The award comes with a $2000 scholarship provided by the Windfeldt Family Scholarship Fund. Janeel Denson-Lehman took the honor this year.

She has been with the Roosevelt Boys and Girls Club for the last six years and lived in Boston before being adopted by a family in St. Cloud.

She says she will use the scholarship to attend St. Cloud State University.

I will attend CO2 at St. Cloud State University. This is a job training and life skills program for young adults with special needs. When I am finished, my mother and I will open Fairytales Home Daycare Center. I will teach children ages 3-5 to be loving, kind, and of service to all people.

Denson-Lehman will graduate from Apollo High School in the spring. She says the people at the club are like family.

In fourth grade I started school at Madison Elementary in St. Cloud. At the same time, I became a member of the Roosevelt Boys and Girls Club. I was so scared and lonely in a new city and state. I made friends quickly. I like to think of the people at the club as part of my family.

Runner up Carter Shimabukuro-King will receive a $1000 scholarship. He will also be graduating from Apollo this year and hopes to become a physical trainer or go into the sports medicine field.