Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

The Boys & Girls Club of Bartlesville is proud to announce that Nelly Pendelton was selected as the 2021 Youth of the Year winner in Bartlesville.

Last December, Nelly competed against other Club members across the Bartlesville area. The competition consisted of written essays, an interview with a panel of judges and giving her speech to those judges. Nelly was awarded a total of $3,500 from the Boys & Girls Club of Bartlesville and the Sherry Musselman Cox Memorial Scholarship through Bartlesville Community Foundation. Being named Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive. As the Boys & Girls Club of America’s premier youth recognition program, Youth of the Year recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community, local Boys & Girls Club, as well as overcoming personal challenges and obstacles.

Nelly has been a member of the Bartlesville Boys & Girls Club since 2008. She attends Bartlesville High School and is the current President of Keystone Club, a leadership and service-oriented group within the Boys & Girls Club. During her membership at the Club, she has participated in the Career Launch program, S.M.A.R.T. Girls and is a member of the Junior Staff. Nelly says that to her the “Club is home, a place where I’m more than enough” and that “helping people and working with kids are the most important things to me. I know with hard work and the love I have for my job, and these kids, I can make a change in our community. With the help of others I can change the world, one life at a time, starting with our kids!” After graduation Nelly plans to attend Independence Community College and hopes to someday be in a leadership position in a Boys & Girls Club.

In the spring, Nelly will compete at the state Youth of the Year competition in Oklahoma City. She will have the opportunity to add to her scholarship fund as she competes against other Youth of the Year winners from across the state. A member of the Boys & Girls Club of Bartlesville has been the winner or runner-up in five of the last seven Oklahoma Youth of the Year competitions.

For more than 65 years, the mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Bartlesville has been to enable our young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential. The vision  of the Boys & Girls Club of Bartlesville is to ensure that all Club members are on track to graduate from high school with a plan for their future. Last year, the after school and summer programs served almost 900 children, each for just $40 in membership dues a year. Their doors are open to members Monday through Friday, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. after school, and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the summer. In addition to offering life-changing programs, we serve a daily meal to every child who comes through our doors. Low membership dues allow any child to belong and participate. More information about the Boys & Girls Club of Bartlesville may be found on our website, bgcbville.org or you can find us on Facebook.