Future UT student named Ohio Youth of the Year

June 19, 2009 | Features, UToday
By Shannon Wermer



The Boys and Girls Club of Ohio has named its Youth of the Year: Jeremy Hampton, who plans to attend UT this fall.

Jeremy Hampton and Shawna Woody, director of program operations for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo

Jeremy Hampton and Shawna Woody, director of program operations for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo

Hampton received a special plaque and a $1,000 scholarship. He is now eligible for the National Youth of the Year award. The winner will be announced in September.

The 17-year-old is a graduate of Libbey High School. He is active in the National Honor Society and plans to attend The University of Toledo to pursue a degree in physical therapy.

Hampton has been a member of the Homer Hanham Unit at the Toledo Boys and Club of Toledo for 10 years and was chosen among 12 finalists from Ohio for the award. The candidates were evaluated based on an interview, speech, and information about home, family, moral character, community, school, service to the club and life goals.

He credited the Toledo Boys and Girls Club of Toledo with being his only home for much of his childhood.

“I spent some time in and out of shelters,” Hampton said. “The clubs allowed me to make something of my life.”

“From the moment I met him, I knew he was special,” Shawna Woody, director of program operations for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo, said of Hampton. “He has a spark and an energy about him. He has been through so many trials and tribulations in his 17 years on this earth, but you would never know it.”

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Toledo is an organization dedicated to promoting leadership and career development while emphasizing social and educational growth. More specifically, the club works with youth from disadvantaged circumstances, providing various programs in neighborhood facilities to help youth develop the self-esteem and self-reliance to become responsible and caring citizens.

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