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Courtne Dotson, 17, gives thanks after receiving the 'Youth of The Year' award during the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica 41st Annual Awards Banquet at the Olympic Collection Banquet and Conference Center on Saturday, February 7, 2009. She won a $4000.00 scholarship for her hard work.  Dotson, has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica for 12 years, takes a bus from school and then home each day just to get to the Club, has taken on several leadership roles at the Club in addition to helping her single mother in running the household and has become an essential role model to countless other Club members, peers and even supervisors.

Youth of the Year is a national Boys & Girls Club program and is the highest honor a Club member can receive. Winners embody service, leadership and character and have achieved personal and academic success despite great challenges.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica serves children from all backgrounds, regardless of economic circumstances. The main focus of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica is to provide positive activities for youth ages 7-18 from the Santa Monica and surrounding communities during the hours they are not in school. There goal is to provide a chance for every child to feel – a sense of competence, a sense of usefulness, a sense of belonging and a sense of influence.

The Club offers a variety of programs in the following areas – arts, athletics, education, leadership development and career preparation, social recreation, skateboarding and rollerblading, and technology. Each department is led by trained youth development professionals. Programs are offered in a variety of formats including drop-in activities, special group clubs, sports leagues, specialized classes and ongoing instruction. Our programs are designed to help members develop socially, succeed in school, stay physically active and prepare for positive futures.

The Mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica is to enable all young people  to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

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