From the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County:
(Aberdeen, MD) – On May 11, 2011 Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County will hold its 21st Annual Steak & Burger Dinner at the New Life Center at Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland where Dr. Ben Carson will be our keynote speaker. Dr. Carson’s honorarium has been generously sponsored by Louis & Phyllis Friedman. More than 500 people attend this event, designed to recognize the accomplishments of youth at the Harford County Clubs in Aberdeen, Bel Air, Edgewood and Havre de Grace. Booz Allen Hamilton is the primary corporate sponsor for the event. Thanks to Outback Steak House, local supporters will be able to dine with the children and teens that have benefited from the programs offered by the Boys & Girls Clubs and learn more about the Clubs. Don Mathis, former Boys & Girls Club Executive Director and the current President/CEO of the Community Action Partnership, will be serving as the Master of Ceremonies.
Dr. Carson has directed pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for over 25 years. His success comes from a blend of his youthful passion for reading, his mother’s tough love and his big dreams. “It is exactly the message that Boys & Girls Club members should hear”, say Louis and Phyllis Friedman, co-owners of Stack & Store Mini Storage. “Dr. Carson represents a model for the ability to succeed when you don’t have everything handed to you on a silver platter. He is also a model for values. This is a man whose primary goal in life is to help other people,” says Mrs. Friedman.
Mrs. Vi Ripken, a Boys & Girls Clubs board member who has worked with this event since its inception, says that Dr. Carson’s life story mirrors the values that the Club’s Staff and Board of Directors hope to pass onto its members. “I hope they take away the message that it doesn’t matter where you come from, it is what you put into it,” she says. “Having a caring adult, or group of adults, will help you along the way. You may not become a surgeon but you can become an upstanding member of the community.”
The evening will honor Samantha Stokes, a true example of an extraordinary young woman as the 2011 Harford County Youth of the Year. At age 15, a 9th grader at Harford Technical High School, she has just been selected and competed against other Boys & Girls Club members for the Youth of the Year title and a $1,000 scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County. Being named Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive. The title
recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and Boys & Girls Club, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome.
Seating is limited. Individuals can attend the event for $50.00 or participate as a table sponsor for $500.00. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available online at www.bgcharfordco.org
About the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County was established in 1989 by a group of concerned citizens in the Aberdeen area. In its 20 year history, it has grown to 4 sites throughout Harford County and now serves more than 400 children and teens on a daily basis. Our mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The Club is open to all youth ages 6 to 18 and provides positive youth development programs in five core areas: Character and Leadership Development; Health & Life Skills; Education & Career
Development; the Arts; and Sports, Fitness and Recreation.
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