Meet the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield JUNIOR Youth of the Year Candidates!

On Friday March 21, 2025, the Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield will host its annual Youth Leadership Dinner, a night to celebrate the Club and the youth that make it the special place that it is! This powerful evening honors the Character and Leadership Program members in Gem Club (5th-grade members), Torch Club (middle school members), and Keystone Club (high school members), individually recognizing them for their commitment and achievements.

This year’s dinner will highlight 17 Youth of the Year Candidates and 15 Junior Youth of the Year Candidates, who will each spend a few minutes speaking about their personal BGCR experience and the impact the Club has had on their lives. The highlight of the evening will be the crowning of the 2025 Youth of the Year, the most prestigious honor bestowed upon a Club member.

The Club will name the 2025 Junior Youth of the Year for the 5th time in BGCR history. For close to two decades, the Youth of the Year program has recognized and celebrated the extraordinary achievements of the Ridgefield Club’s teens. Four years ago, the BGCR implemented the Junior Youth of the Year program to provide freshman and sophomore members with the training and practice needed to move on to the Youth of the Year program. The program cultivates junior leaders, giving them the basic skills they need for more advanced leadership development, academic excellence, and post-secondary success. This year, the Club saw its highest number of Junior Youth of the Year applicants, with an incredible group of 15 freshmen and sophomores.

The 2025 Junior Youth of the Year candidates are: Ben Kelly, Olivia Orestuck, Tanner Breen, Harper Gibbons, Ronan Hanely, Dylan Hrabosky, Logan Molony, Lia Munoz-Rojas, Ravi Natarajan, Aarav Puri, Nolan Queenan, Paige Saunders, Zoe Schneider, Andrew Tebbe, and Ryan Terry.

A committee of local community leaders interviewed the candidates and worked with the professional staff to select the Junior Youth of the Year. This year’s judges were Nikki Nuut, Executive Director of Founder Hall; Kerry Anne Ducey, Founder, and Editor of HamletHub; Kelly Molony, BGCR Board Member; and Christopher Leonard, Attorney and BGCR Board Member.

Junior Youth of the Year honorees are shining examples and living proof that GREAT FUTURES start at the Club!