| Union City teenager earns Youth of the Year award | | Posted: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 9:02 pm
| Shannon Wiggins, daughter of Joe Wiggins and Margie Morrow, both of Union City, has earned the highest honor possible when it comes to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Tennessee.
Miss Wiggins was named the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Tennessee-Union City Youth of the Year recently. She then went on to place fourth in the statewide Youth of the Year competition, where she received a $500 scholarship from Country Music Television and a new Dell laptop.
As the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s premier youth recognition program, Youth of the Year recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and local Boys & Girls Club. It also celebrates those young men and women who have overcome personal challenges and obstacles.
The Youth of the Year program encourages club members to reach their full potential by achieving academic success, leading healthy lifestyles and contributing to their communities. Youth of the Year honorees are shining examples and living proof that great futures start at Boys & Girls Clubs, a spokesman said.
Miss Wiggins has been a member of the Union City club since the doors opened in 2004. According to club director Tracy Boucher, she has been an outstanding volunteer and mentor to younger club members for the past three years as a member of the Keystone Club. A senior at Obion County Central High School, the local Youth of he Year is very outgoing and is an excellent student. She has been a member of the Lady Rebel basketball team for four years and recently announced she will be attending Three Rivers Community College in the fall to continue her sports career.
The statewide competition for Youth of the Year was held in Nashville recently. The local honoree was among 19 other youths of the year from Boys & Girls clubs throughout Tennessee who were also competing for the top honor in the state. The group enjoyed several special events designated just for the honorees. All of the youths of the year and their chaperones took in a Nashville Predators’ professional hockey game the first evening. The next morning, they were treated to breakfast and a tour of CMT headquarters and were then transported to Bridgestone Arena and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
The group enjoyed a tour of LP Field, home to the Tennessee Titans, where they were treated to lunch. It was at one of Nashville’s favorite sports venues that all the contestants presented their speeches titled “What the Boys & Girls Club Means to Me” to a group of judges that consisted of executives from such companies as Check Into Cash, Tupperware and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
The teens were then treated to dinner at Dick’s Last Resort and went on to enjoy a fun night of laser tag and karaoke. Wednesday the contestants visited the state capitol, where they sat in on a speech by Gov. Bill Haslam on Medicare. They were then whisked away to the Sheraton Hotel to enjoy lunch with several of the state representatives and senators from across Tennessee as they awaited the announcement of the winner of the Tennessee Youth of the Year.
It was at this event that Miss Wiggins was recognized as the fourth runner up in the competition. After the announcement of all of the winners, photos were taken with the governor.
“Shannon is the perfect example of what we strive for at the Boys & Girls Club — a productive, responsible and caring citizen. She could have sat back and let her surroundings dictate her future; instead she fought back because she wanted more for her life. I have no doubt that Shannon will excel in everything she sets out to do,” says Ms. Boucher.
Published in The Messenger 4.10.13 | | | | |
