Carlisha McKenzie poses for a portrait with her “Outstanding Youth of the Year 2013” award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chattanooga at the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy on Thursday.
Chris Whitehead, left, a senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, instigates a fist bump with Jalanden, at a first meeting Thursday during lunch break. Whitehead has been working with Jalanden, now a 10-year-old student at Brown Academy, for three years.Butch Jones is keynote speakerCarlisha McKenzie will be honored in front of the community on April 29 when the Boys and Girls Club welcomes University of Tennessee football coach Butch Jones to speak at the Stake and Burger Dinner and fundraiser at the Chattanoogan.Jones is entering his second season at UT’s coach. He just secured one of the nation’s premier recruiting classes.”We were very fortunate he agreed to do that,” Gray said. “We try to get, not necessarily always sports figures, but people who understand and can come and encourage.”Tickets to the Stake and Burger Dinner be purchased at 423-266-6131 or online at bgccha.org.
Carlisha McKenzie says she must be doing something right.
She is.
The 15-year old freshman at Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy received the Outstanding Leadership Award for the Boys and Girls Club of Chattanooga Thursday morning.
Carlisha is the second female to receive the honor since 1977. The award usually goes to a high school junior or senior, but Carlisha’s work at the club, commitment to academic excellence and ability to organize and motivate others made her impossible to pass up.