Courtesy Photo Brett Budnik was named Youth of the Year by The Boys & Girls Club of Alpena. He will now vie for the state title and scholarship.

ALPENA — Selected from a pool of many outstanding youth, Brett Budnik has been named the Youth of the Year by The Boys & Girls Club of Alpena.

The Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor bestowed upon an exemplary young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle. Now in its 73rd year, the Youth of the Year program honors our nation’s most awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures.

Budnik will go on to contend for the Michigan Youth of the Year title and a $2,500 college scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For the first time in Boys & Girls Club history, Budnik will be competing virtually this weekend, along with other candidates throughout the state.

“Brett is a remarkable role model and a young man with an incredibly bright future that we are so proud to have as a member of our Club,” Boys & Girls Club of Alpena CEO Bradley Somers said in a press release. “Each year, one exceptional Club member is selected to be the Boys & Girls Club’s Youth of the Year, serving as an ambassador for Boys & Girls Club youth as well as a voice for all of our community’s young people. Over the decades, these individuals have exemplified the Boys & Girls Club’s mission and are proof to the impact Clubs make in positively transforming the lives of our local and national youth.”

Budnik has maintained a 3.83 GPA, while participating in the early college program through the school. He has earned an Ethic of Service award for completing more than 500 hours of community service. Throughout his years at the club he has earned Youth of the Month and Volunteer of the Month at the Boys & Girls Club of Alpena for showing leadership, compassion and dedication to his club and community. His accomplishments are plenty, as he maintains a balanced home, academic, and social life, while dedicating his time to serving his community.

Budnik has been an extremely important part of the club’s Youth Volunteer Corps program. This youthvolunteer program teaches leadership, and poses career opportunities through student-led service learning projects. He has completed 654 hours of service throughout his six years of involvement. Budnik also holds a spot on the International Youth Advisory Board, which is a leadership board that meets to come up with new project ideas and movements to help their fellow youth volunteers grow as individuals and as a whole.

Budnik has committed his teenage years to his community by addressing and solving community needs through the Boys & Girls Club of Alpena’s programming. After high school, Budnik plans to attend Lawrence Tech to pursue his career goals as an architect. He plans to continue his commitment to community service throughout his adult life.

The Boys & Girls Club is honored to have Budnik as its Youth of the Year and to have been a part of his growth as a young adult.

Club leaders hope that all of his goals, and dreams are pursued with confidence and pride. Budnik has exemplary leadership skills and dedication that will be an essential part of our community’s future.

If Budnik is named the Michigan Youth of the Year, he will contend for the title of Midwest Regional Youth of the Year who will receive an additional $20,000 college scholarship. Six finalists will advance to Washington, D.C. in October to vie for the title of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year. The National Youth of the Year will receive an additional scholarship of $50,000.

For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit www.youthoftheyear.org.

The Boys & Girls Club of Alpena has been serving the youth in Alpena since 1926. Currently, the club serves over 1200 youth annually in the community through a diverse range of programming and outreach efforts designed to align and fulfill its mission. The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Alpena is: “To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.”

The Boys & Girls Club of Alpena is a year-round nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. The club focuses on the school year and summer programming for youth ages 6 to 18 years old. The club’s average daily attendance is 115 youth per day between the club’s two sites. The two sites are the Lanny Kingsbury Center (main site) located at 601 River Street and the Alpena High School Wildcat Unit/VolunTeen Center located at the high school, 3303 S. 3rd Ave. For more information visit www.bgcalpena.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BoysandGirlsClubofAlpena.