COREY STEWART

Corey, a senior at Girls’ High, has been a Club member since the fifth grade. She began to emerge as a leader within the Nicetown Club during her freshman year, when she made a conscious choice to participate after noticing increased activity around the Club. While she had excelled academically, Corey says that the Club’s technology center and library strengthened her study skills and taught her to use the Internet efficiently. Because she wants to let other youth know that the Club will be there to support them, Corey shared that she and her family had a difficult year, and Club staff, especially Unit Director Clarence Miller, provided a positive atmosphere and an outlet for expression without judgment.

Winning the Youth of the Year competition in 2005, Corey attributes substantial personal growth to opportunities the program opened to her. Although she admits there are too many to count, Corey enthusiastically recalls one of her most memorable moments – speaking at the 2005 "Touching a Life" Gala.

Graduating this June, Corey will attend historic Fisk University in Tennessee with a dual major in Sociology and Political Science. Through a BGCP Board member’s anonymous contribution, Corey and her parents attended a special “scholars’ weekend” at Fisk. Corey’s face lights up as she recounts the exciting experience of the trip and her dreams for success in the future. Corey’s involvement in Keystone Club, with its teen leadership focus, has exposed her to other youth leaders from around the country and opened her eyes to varying cultures, backgrounds, and socioeconomic circumstances. Corey smiles as she talks about her various public speaking opportunities as well as the interesting and influential people she has met through her involvement with the Club. She attributes this exposure to her evolving desire to affect social service policy in this country.

Corey knows she will be back to visit, and plans to contribute to strengthening her Nicetown community. She admits that she will miss the Club and all the support and enjoyment it brought her. She says she will help spread the word about Boys & Girls Clubs – she wants to tell young people her age, “The Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia is a place where they can get help and support, and also where they can make a difference for others.” Among her photos from the Fisk trip is one of her at the front door of the Nashville Boys & Girls Club – she made time to connect with her counterparts already!

COURTNEY MORAGNE

Courtney Moragne, a senior at Central High School, shares an equally bright future. Courtney and Corey forged a close relationship this year due to their mutual interests in the Nicetown Keystone Club and their college pursuits. She began her membership with the Club at a young age as a cheerleader for the Nicetown Steelers, but became more involved when she reached her high school years. As the only girl in a family of six, Courtney found that the Club provided her with her own space to grow and to discover herself.

Once she began visiting the Club regularly and growing close with staff and members, Courtney says that not only could she make friends and receive guidance, she could turn to the staff for practical, academic needs. Courtney recalls during her tenth grade year she struggled with low math scores; with tutoring form Club staff, Courtney raised her grades that year and continues to excel in all areas of study.

Courtney expresses gratitude for the open and nurturing disposition of the Club staff. While grades and friends are every young girl’s concern, Courtney has kept smiling through familial difficulties. Last summer, Courtney shares, her family life seemed almost too much to bear, but she recalls the ease with which she confided in Club staff like Shatara Fitzgerald, a teen coordinator at the Club who serves as the Keystone Club advisor. Keystone limits the member-staff ratio to 15:1 to facilitate close attention.

Courtney also shares how Club staff encouraged her to complete and submit her college applications. Admitting she began the application process late, Courtney attributes her recent college acceptances not only to her academic achievements but also to Ms. Fitzgerald’s daily reminders "to get it done." This summer, Courtney will attend her first-choice school, Spelman College in Atlanta, majoring in biology with aspirations of medical school in the pediatric field.

At April’s Youth of the Year award dinner at The Union League, Courtney accepted her trophy and scholarship with surprise and delight. Sharing the moment with her parents in attendance remains one of her fondest memories with the Boys & Girls Clubs. She plans to visit the Club when home from college and mentions her desire to someday serve as a volunteer leader on the Board of Directors at BGCP. When asked what she might tell other teens about the Club, she replied, "I’ll tell them it’s a place where they can chill, as well as grow!"

To visit Courtney's blog visit here.