On behalf of County Executive Rob Astorino, club board President R. Todd Rockefeller presented proclamations to Cristy Lopez-Duarte, the 2014 Youth of the Year, and each of the three Youth of the Year finalists – Nethmi DeSilva, Akilah Figueroa and Isaiah Figueroa – and Chris Cutri Award recipient Justique Carter.
Carter, a Fox Lane High School freshman, was honored with the Chris Cutri Award. This award memorializes Cutri, the son of BGCNW director of operations Barbara Cutri, and recognizes positive attitude, perseverance, kindness and integrity.
At the 2014 Youth of the Year reception, Carter spoke of her baby brother’s diagnosis of cancer and how she felt “alone and trapped.”
“My Boys & Girls Club’s love was just as tender as my grandma’s, their hugs just as tight as my mother’s. The Boys & Girls Club gave me hope,” Carter said. “I learned to be a believer and a fierce fighter – and fight with my brother.”