“Kept Me Out of Jail”

by senior contributor Brendan Kownacki

Photo credit: Brendan Kownacki

“Some did twenty, some did thirty years in the penitentiary. The only difference between them and myself was the Boys and Girls Club, the ONLY difference,” said Denzel Washington, the Academy Award winning actor about the pivot point in his youth and the future that could have been. Washington described a bleak outlook growing up in Mount Vernon New York, but cites that the Boys and Girls Club offered mentoring, direction and encouragement that kept him moving to a bright future.

The actor and advocate was in Washington DC this week for the 2015-16 National Youth of the Year Gala, held by the Boys and Girls Club of America in a ceremony held at the National Building Museum. Washington talked about going to the club when he was younger and seeing college penants hung on the wall from kids who had made it to different universities, and that it was the first time he pictured a positive future for himself.

Denzel Washington



Washington’s message was strong but not an uncommon story among the youth finalists who all shared experiences of hardships as they grew up. In the end, it was Whitney Stewart of Sarasota who was named Youth of the Year and awarded $145,000 in college scholarships. “Boys & Girls Clubs saved and forever changed my life,” said Stewart. “My Club ignited a passion in me to achieve my dreams and I’m proud to represent millions of teens and young Club alumni whose lives are forever transformed by their Boys & Girls Clubs.”

Dr. Damon A. Williams with Whitney Stewart 2015-16 National Youth of the Year

Stewart talked about the importance of mentorship and that she ultimately realized she could achieve beyond what was likely for her or was the easy path presented. Currently a freshman at University of Pennsylvania, Whitney said she aspires one day to be President of the United States.

Rep. Steny Hoyer with Denzel Washington

The evening was bolstered full of strong role models for all the youths including Speaker of the House John Boehner, Democratic Whip (and BGCA Alumni) Steny Hoyer, Sherri Shepherd, Kelly Rowland, Rapper Timbaland and wife Monique Mosley, also a club alumni who is now a stylist for the FOX hit, Empire.

Sherri Shepard

“You don’t have to be the product of your environment necessarily,” said Kelly Rowland about the message that BGCA send to children. “You can be the change. You can start a completely new path,” she added.

Kelly Rowland

Monique Mosley agreed about how the club guided her in her youth, saying that it impacted every aspect of her development. She said it was a place for her to go rather than being in an empty home while her mother worked. “I couldn’t imagine what my life would have been without having them as a part of it,” said Mosley.

Monique Mosley

As Youth of the Year, Whitney will serve as the official spokesperson for BGCA and its Young Alumni & Friends Club that connects former members who are living proof of the impact of Boys & Girls Clubs. Later this year, she and the five other National Youth of the Year finalists will go to the White House for an exclusive meeting with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

The message overall is an inspiring one; you can do anything you want in life, and even when the circumstances are against you, there are opportunities to grab the bright future.

Timbaland

Listen to Denzel Washington and Whitney Stewart talk about their BGCA journeys: