The Boys & Girls Club of Collier County’s 5th Annual Youth of the Year Celebration

Andre Reed

The Boys & Girls Club of Collier County will celebrate the extraordinary achievements of 21 local Boys and Girls Club members on Tuesday, March 7 at the 5th Annual Youth of the Year Celebration. Celebrity guest Andre Reed, NFL Hall of Famer and Boys & Girls Club Alumni, will host the presentation of awards at the Youth of the Year event.

Drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1985, Reed played for 16 NFL seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills (1985–1999) and one with the Washington Redskins in 2000 before he retired. In his four Super Bowls, Reed recorded 27 receptions, the second most total career Super Bowl receptions in NFL history. His 323 total Super Bowl receiving yards are the third most in Super Bowl history. A tribute to his incredible physical durability, Reed played in 234 NFL games between 1985 and 2000, the 59th most games played by any player in NFL history.

In 2015, Andre Reed was inducted into the Boys and Girls Club Hall of Fame. He is now a Boys and Girls Club success story alongside Denzel Washington, Jennifer Lopez, Magic Johnson, Michael Phelps and many other successful Boys & Girls Club of America Alumni. This year’s Youth of the Year event will be held at Artis–Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Boulevard, at 7:30 p.m. Twenty-one Boys & Girls Club youth nominees, ages 14 to 18 will be recognized for displaying outstanding leadership, service, academic excellence, moral character and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle during the past year. Through a presentation of speeches, Youth of the Year candidates will illustrate how they have turned their aspirations into actions and overcome personal obstacles to achieve success.

Andre Reed will announce the local 2017 Youth of the Year winner and the recipient will advance to compete on a statewide level for the opportunity to receive up to $50,000 in college scholarships and an induction by the President of the United States. Several sponsorship packages are available for businesses interested in participating in the Youth of the Year celebration. The various levels include:

• The Arts: $300 for a half-page advertisement in event program or $500 for a full-page advertisement in event program. Deadline for submission is 2:00 pm on February 17, 2017.
  
• Fitness & Recreation: $1,000 includes a cocktail reception, reserved dinner and program seating for one, and recognition in the event program
• Education & Career: $5,000 includes a cocktail reception, reserved dinner seating for four with a Youth of the Year nominee, reserved program seating for four, recognition on website and event program, half-page advertisement in event program, and inclusion in all marketing materials
• Character & Leadership: $10,000 includes photo opportunity with Andre Reed, a cocktail reception, preferred dinner seating for eight with a Youth of the Year nominee, preferred program seating for eight, recognition on website and event program, full-page advertisement in event program, and inclusion in all marketing materials.
• Hope & Opportunity: $25,000 includes photo opportunity with Andre Reed, a cocktail reception, preferred dinner seating for ten with a Youth of the Year nominee, preferred program seating for ten, recognition on website and event program, full-page advertisement in event program, and inclusion in all marketing materials.

Tickets to attend the Youth of the Year (program only) are $25 per person. All proceeds raised will support the Boys & Girls Club five core program areas: Character & Leadership Development, Education & Career Development, Health & Life Skills, The Arts, and Sports, Fitness & Recreation.

For additional information or to purchase tickets for the Youth of the Year event, call (239) 325-1765 or E-mail adinanno@bgccc.com.