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Hope Newman named Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year

Whether she is tutoring, teaching leadership skills or keeping hyped-up kiddos occupied while they wait for pizza to bake, Hope Newman is happy with her role at the Boys and Girls Club.

A junior staff member and volunteer who adores the younger club members, Hope remembers being one of those little kids who needed positive role models to get her excited about the club.

"Having my family and the staff members encourage me to come here, it's changed my life," Hope, 17, said Tuesday evening. "The best part of Boys and Girls Club for me is that it's not just a daycare. The staff make the difference. They take hours planning the programs and making sure it's stuff we want to do rather than what you do in regular old P.E. or art class.

"They play with you and that kind of atmosphere. That’s why I come back," she said. "Now, being a junior staff, it’s really cool because I get to be that person that the staff were to me."

From a shy elementary-schooler to a confident Post Falls High School senior, the Boys and Girls Club has been an integral piece of Hope's journey. She created the "Step it Up" program to encourage other youths to be good leaders. She's active with the homework-focused "Power Hour" and runs creative writing workshops. She works at the Jordan Johnson Clubhouse in Post Falls and volunteers at the Coeur d'Alene Club.

She's an exemplary club representative, and this is why she was selected as the Boys and Girls Club of Kootenai County's 2017 Youth of the Year.