Photo By Tracey Benson Photography
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County named Anajiah Graham of Belle Glade’s Smith & Moore Family Teen Center the 2021 Palm Beach County Youth of the Year.
The event celebrated the 17 local clubs’ mission of enabling young people to reach their full potential and raised more than a record-breaking $300,000.
Graham, a Glades Central High School senior who has been accepted into Alabama State University, was named the winner after several rounds of essays, interviews and speeches. All finalists received a four-year Florida Prepaid College Scholarship; Graham also received room and board.
“I feel excited and happy because Belle Glade now has its first Youth of the Year winner,” said Graham after giving a speech highlighting the often-overlooked achievements of teens in the Glades area. “It’s important that other children in the Glades be positive. There are opportunities that are life-changing that we can go for.”
The night was full of surprises: The teens were given Chromebook laptops to ensure they are ready for their college careers and First Daughter Ashley Biden, who recently worked for Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County as a social-emotional coordinator, sent a videotaped message.
“I worked with some incredibly dedicated, passionate, caring men and women,” Biden said. “Boys & Girls Clubs are essential, I believe, in every community in America.”
The 2021 Palm Beach County Youth of the Year finalists are: Elisha Jenkins from Florence De George Boys & Girls Clubs of West Palm Beach; Breanna Bromfield from Marjorie S. Fisher Boys & Girls Club of West Palm Beach; Artisha Jackson from Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Club of Rivera Beach; Jessica Badeau from Boys & Girls Club of Delray Beach; Garvey Antoine from Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton and Elizabeth Shelby-Davis from Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington.