The Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows Serving Fernley honored Manny Welsh as its Youth of the Year at its fifth annual Fernley Awards Banquet on Oct. 8 at the Community Response and Resource Center.
Below: Jake Haas (left) receives the Distinguished Service Award presented by Rob Jacobson. Photo by Roert Perea
The Club also honored Members of the Year in four categories and presented the Distinguished Service Award to Jacob Haas and the Volunteer of the Year Award to Josh Keirn.
The Youth of the Year award is the Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s signature effort to foster a new generation of leaders prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy. It is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club youth can achieve.
Welsh is a junior at Fernley High School who has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club for the past four years. In his speech, Welsh detailed his battle to overcome depression, isolation and fear after being the victim of an assault.
“I lost a lot of trust in others. I became paranoid,” Welsh said. “Whenever I left my house, I was constantly watching my back, wondering if someone was going to attack me.”
Welsh described how he isolated himself because he was afraid of being injured again and of how people might react if he told them what he was going through.
“The Boys & Girls Club became one of the few places where I felt safe,” he said. “For me, the Club became somewhere I felt myself again.”
Welsh said he was nervous and scared when he started high school but decided he didn’t want to disappoint his parents or, more importantly, himself.
“Eventually I realized being alone might feel safe, but having a community gives you strength,” he said. “The Club helped me discover that.”
Below: Area Director Oscar Aguilar presents the Volunteer of the Year award to Josh Keirn. Photo by Robert Perea
Welsh said that after he graduates from high school, he hopes to attend Truckee Meadows Community College and become a registered nurse.
“My dad had a heart attack and spent two weeks in the hospital,” Welsh said. “That was difficult, but while he was there, he would tell us about the nurses who were caring for him and what they were doing to help him. I want to become the kind of nurse who makes people feel heard, supported and safe.”
The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Josh Keirn. He joined the Fernley Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors in 2025 and has volunteered with the Club, coaching basketball, Teeny Tots, Junior Giants and soccer. In 2023, he was honored with the Willie Mac Award through the Junior Giants program.
The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Jacob Haas. Over the years, he has donated more than $125,000 to the Boys & Girls Club, the University of Nevada, Reno, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Children’s Cabinet and other organizations.
The Members of the Year awards were presented to:
Academic Success
- Kristian Martinez, Cottonwood Elementary School
- Bonnie Moynahan, Fernley Teen Center
Character and Leadership
- Dakota Robertson, East Valley Elementary School
- Isis Osborn, Fernley Teen Center
Healthy Lifestyles
- Addilyn Atkinson, Fernley Clubhouse
- Drostan Reno, Fernley Teen Center
Life & Workforce Readiness
- Rosie Benitez, Fernley Clubhouse
- Robert Lewis, Fernley Teen Center
Below: The Fernley Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Club honored Mike Wurm, who is retiring as the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows. Photo by Robert Perea
Comment
Comments