photo by: Courtesy of Jason Dailey Photography

From left, Free State High School senior La'Ron Williams, Free State High School sophomore Alex Johnson and Free State High School freshman Abby Benally are the three candidates vying for the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence's 2024 Youth of the Year title.

A new venue is set to play host to three nominees for the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence’s 2024 Youth of the Year ceremony, also kicking off the 50th anniversary of the club’s run in Lawrence.

Free State High School senior La’Ron Williams, Free State High School sophomore Alex Johnson and Free State High School freshman Abby Benally are vying for this year’s title and will take the stage at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive, next Thursday at 7 p.m. The club announced the details of this year’s event in a news release Thursday.

According to the release, the Youth of the Year honor is part of the premier recognition program for more than 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. To earn a nomination, high school students must embody the values of leadership service, academic excellence and healthy lifestyles.

“I am incredibly pleased that my time as interim CEO lined up with the Youth of the Year season,” Frank Harwood, interim leader of the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, said in the release. “I’ve had the opportunity to watch these candidates practice and dedicate themselves to succeeding in this process. When I was their age, I never pushed myself this far out of my comfort zone. I admire their courage.”

The ceremony is free to attend and will be preceded by a candidate reception at 6 p.m. Along with delivering a speech during the ceremony Thursday evening, candidates will spend the day being interviewed by a panel of judges, who will score their essays and short-answer questions.

The winner will move on to represent Lawrence in the statewide Youth of the Year contest, where they’ll get a chance to advance to a regional competition and then to the National Youth of the Year event. The Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence has produced the Kansas Youth of the Year in six of the past 11 years, most recently Lawrence High School student Arabella Gipp in 2022. Gipp also won the local honor for a second year in a row in 2023.

The release also includes more information about each of this year’s candidates:

* La’Ron Williams, the son of Contessa Woodson and Jermell Taylor, is participating in the Youth of the Year event for a second time. At Boys & Girls Club, Williams participates in the club’s Ball 4 All basketball league and Keystone Club, a community service group. Williams plans to major in journalism at the University of Kansas and hopes to become a writer or public speaker.

* Alex Johnson, the son of Angie and Eric Johnson, is involved in choir and theater, and he’s also put his artistic skills to work with the Boys & Girls Club’s PRIDE Club. Johnson aspires to become a meteorologist and is interested in attending KU or the University of Oklahoma after high school.

* Abby Benally, the daughter of Peggy and Daniel Benally, is familiar to anyone who attends the Boys & Girls Club’s Center for Great Futures. At school, Benally is involved with marching band, theater and the Pre-Med Club, and she also plays clarinet in the Lawrence Youth Symphony and the John Philip Sousa Junior Honor Band. At the club, Benally is involved in the community service-focused Keystone Club. She would like to attend Baker University or KU to become a nurse.