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Exceptional Pine Bluff Teen Named ‘Youth of The Year’ By Boys & Girls Club Of Jefferson County

pjw@engineroomdm.com (Paul Walsh ) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 22:49:27 GMT

Kayla Smith to Now Vie for State Title and Scholarship in Benton, AR March 5-6, 2019 !!

Kayla was selected among 15 outstanding youth and has been named the Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County. 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 living a healthy lifestyle. Now in its 72nd year, the Youth of the Year program honors our nation’s most awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures and encourages all kids to lead, succeed and inspire. Kayla Smith will go on to contend for the Arkansas Youth of the Year title and a $5,000 college scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

“Kayla is well deserving of this title and I believe she will do well at the state competition,” said Chief Executive Officer, Nyeshia Aldridge of the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County

Kayla, daughter of Germaine and Shaun Smith and the late Reginald Smith is currently a sophomore at Watson Chapel High School holding a 3.5 GPA and has been an active member of the Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County for 8 years.

Smith participates in the Junior Staff program an easy-to-use program for Club teens ages 13 to 18. This program's purpose is to guide young people in preparing for a career in Boys & Girls Clubs and/or other service professions. Through participation in Junior Staff, teens will develop interpersonal skills, a strong work ethic and a sense of community engagement while experiencing on-the-job Club work. She is also a member of the SMART Girls program which is a small-group health, fitness, prevention/education and self-esteem enhancement program designed to meet the developmental needs of girls in three age groups. Through dynamic sessions, highly participatory activities, field trips and mentoring opportunities with adult women, Club girls explore their own and societal attitudes and values as they build skills for eating right, staying physically fit, getting good health care and developing positive relationships with peers and adults.

Smith enjoys volunteering and playing the trombone in the WCHS Band. After high school, she plans to attend the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and seek a career in Sports Medicine or Forensic Science.

If Kayla Smith wins at the state competition she will compete for the title of Southwest Region Youth of the Year and an additional $10,000 college scholarship, renewable for four years up to $40,000. Five regional winners will advance to Washington, D.C. in September 2019, to compete 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 $25,000, renewable each year up to $100,000.

The Youth of the Year recognition program is presented by The Walt Disney Company, who has supported Boys & Girls Clubs of America for more than 50 years, empowering young people to reach their full potential and providing youth with access to the tools they need to build the great futures they imagine. Toyota is the Signature Sponsor of the national Youth of the Year program.

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

The Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County's mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as responsible, caring and productive citizens

Today, we have 2 club sites which serve over 300 young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in Pine Bluff, AR and serve 4 school districts and a charter school in Jefferson County. These locations provide a safe place, are overseen by caring adult mentors and provide fun, friendly, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a National Youth Outcomes Initiative (NYOI) Survey, 100% of Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County’s members said that they feel safe in the Club and they plan to graduate from high school.

The Boys & Girls Club of Jefferson County is seeking support in the form of donations to supplement the cost to send Kayla to the YOY State competition. If interested, please contact us atinfo@boysgirlsclubjc.org or mail payments to PO Box 6027, Pine Bluff, AR 71611.

Please like us on facebook @bgc.jefferson.county

Make the most of the season by following these simple guidelines

pjw@engineroomdm.com (Paul Walsh ) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 22:19:23 GMT

The new season is a great reason to make and keep resolutions. Whether it’s eating right or cleaning out the garage, here are some tips for making and keeping resolutions.

Make a list

Lists are great ways to stay on track. Write down some big things you want to accomplish and some smaller things, too.

Check the list regularly

Don’t forget to check in and see how you’re doing. Just because you don’t achieve the big goals right away doesn’t mean you’re not making progress.

Reward yourself

When you succeed in achieving a goal, be it a big one or a small one, make sure to pat yourself on the back.

Think positively

Positive thinking is a major factor in success. So instead of mulling over things that didn’t go quite right, remind yourself of things that did.

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

pjw@engineroomdm.com (Paul Walsh ) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 22:19:23 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

pjw@engineroomdm.com (Paul Walsh ) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 22:19:23 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.