Boys and Girls Club of Chattanooga honors young leaders at Stake and Burger Dinner

Friday, January 1, 1904

The Boys and Girls Club of Chattanooga honored some teen members and recognized community support of the club's programs Thursday night at the annual Stake and Burger Dinner at The Chattanoogan.

The dinner featured the club's Leaders of the Month for 2012. These are youths who have exhibited outstanding leadership in their respective clubs and often have overcome significant obstacles in their lives, according to the club.

Derelle Roshell, a 17 year-old junior at the Howard School, was named the Outstanding Leader of the Year. He has been a member of the Highland Park facility for years and sees volunteering at the club as a way that he can give back to his community.

At the dinner, Christine Smith, former board member and club board chairwoman, was inducted into the club's Keystone Society, along with Michael Cranford, current president and CEO of the club.

The guest speaker of the event was club graduate and former board member Fredrick H.L. McClure. McClure is a Chattanooga native and graduate of Brainerd High School. He attended Earlham College and the University of Cincinnati College of Law with financial assistance from the club's college scholarship program.

He began his law career with the Chattanooga law firm of Grant, Konvalinka and Grubbs.

While in Chattanooga, McClure served as chairman of the board of commissioners of the Chattanooga Housing Authority and vice president of the Board of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce.

McClure currently lives in Tampa, Fla., and works as the office managing partner at the law firm of DLA Piper LLP. He has taken a leading role in efforts to increase the hiring, retention and promotion of women and minority lawyers and serves as National Diversity Partner of DLA Piper.

The club has been serving Chattanooga's youths for 58 years, and its leaders said it is excited to continue working to enable young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.