During a night of tears and applause, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County named Alonza Lloyd from Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington the 2023 Palm Beach County Youth of the Year.
The dinner, held Friday, Feb. 3 at the Hilton West Palm Beach, celebrated the Boys & Girls Clubs’ mission of enabling young people to reach their full potential. Finalists from the seven clubs with teen programs competed for the county title and the right to compete for the state title.
Lloyd, a senior at Palm Beach Central High School, was named the winner after several rounds of essays, interviews and speeches. All finalists received a four-year Florida Prepaid College Scholarship, while Lloyd received a four-year university scholarship with room and board from the Mary Alice Fortin Foundation.
This was the ninth annual Youth of the Year Dinner. Traditionally, the event provides surprises for the finalists and the audience. This year was no different as Coke Florida surprised the Youth of the Year finalists with new Chromebook laptops. The finalists were also surprised with brand-new tablets, thanks to the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and K12 Print.
“The Youth of the Year Dinner is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s mission defining moment, and it is our most cherished occasion,” said Jaene Miranda, president and CEO of the countywide organization. “The moving tales of success shared tonight affirm that Boys & Girls Clubs are increasingly essential for youth. Were it not for the devoted staff and premier programs, many of our teenage members would never have had the encouragement to graduate from high school on time with a plan for the future.”
The 2023 Palm Beach County Youth of the Year finalists were Kelvin Rolle from the Florence De George Boys & Girls Clubs of West Palm Beach, Kimberly Pierre from the Marjorie S. Fisher Boys & Girls Club of West Palm Beach, Eric Wilson from the Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Club of Rivera Beach, Frank Zamor from the Boys & Girls Club of Delray Beach, Lynnshelsie Antoine from the Boys & Girls Club of Boca Raton, Jada Lovely from the Smith & Moore Family Teen Center of Belle Glade and Alonza Lloyd from the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington.
The finalists were selected to represent their club through a preliminary competition that included a comprehensive application, three essays, three letters of recommendation and an interview in front of a panel of judges. Three-minute speeches presented live at the dinner served as the final scoring factor to determine the Palm Beach County title winner.