Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo receives Hero of Youth Award

National award recognizes advocacy on behalf of children

TOLEDO – Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo received a Hero of Youth award from its national organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, for the local group’s advocacy on behalf of Ohio’s youth.

“Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo is one of the oldest youth-serving organizations in the city,” said James Ravas, the organization’s president and CEO. “We are committed to recognizing the needs of our community’s children and collaborating with local partners and elected officials to ensure our youth have the opportunities and resources they need to succeed.”

Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo has eight locations across the city and served almost 4,000 children 7 years old through high school graduation in 2023.

The Toledo Clubs have seen tremendous growth in their outreach to the city’s youth. The McTigue and Ottawa River Clubs and The Club, James A. Huber Teen Center, at Rogers High School recently celebrated their first anniversaries of serving members.

In 2023, Organizational Youth of the Year Ashley Cutcher was second runner-up in the Ohio Youth of the Year competition in Columbus. The Central Catholic graduate also received the local Clubs’ Carson Scholarship and began her studies at The University of Toledo. She is employed by the Club as a membership registrar and is one of three former Youths of the Year on staff locally.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo employs local teenagers as junior staff members within the Clubs. In those roles, they engage with younger members as mentors and work with adult staff to run various fun and educational programs. For many of these teenagers, the Clubs offer an introduction to the workforce.

Some teenage Club members traveled to Columbus and Washington, D.C., in 2023 to interact with elected officials representing our region and offer an important voice on the thoughts and needs of their peers.

“Because of the steadfast advocacy of leaders like Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo, our nation’s youth have access to skills and experiences that can put them on the path to great futures,” said Jim Clark, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “These successes are not possible without a strong partnership with elected officials at the local, state and federal levels. I commend the Boys & Girls Clubs of Toledo for their tireless work on behalf of their community’s youth and congratulate them on this much-deserved recognition.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Club Advocacy Engagement Recognition Program recognizes the advocacy work Clubs do every day, with a major emphasis on impact, creativity and innovation. The program consists of three tiers for Clubs: Advocate (top 50% of Clubs), Hero (top 40% of Clubs) and Champion (top 10% of Clubs). Clubs get points for impactful engagements and that determines what tier a Club is placed.