Kennedy F. is a Club Kid through and through. Her mom works here, her stepdad, grandpa and grandma work here. And every one of her siblings come to the Club daily. It’s hard to find someone more Club than Kennedy.
As she’s grown through her clubhouse in Yerington, she’s found a new favorite sport and a passion for being kind to other people. She says the staff around her push her to be better, and she’s constantly becoming better at what she tries.
This year, Kennedy ran for Junior Youth of the Year, a program that honors some of our best young members and prepares them for the full Youth of the Year program. In her speech, she talked about the need to end bullying everywhere.
“Everyone just needs to be nice to everyone,” she said. “Because at the end of the day, we’re all human.”
She advocates for kindness after an incident at school where she watched a classmate fall, and nobody came to help her up.
“So I went over there to help her and took her to the nurse.”
Kennedy also helped her sister Hadley when she transitioned from the Club’s preschool over to its clubhouse. Being the smallest child in a new building, Hadley naturally stuck to her sister’s side. Kennedy showed her around, taught her the ropes, and hung out with her every day. They played together all summer, making each other laugh. The entire time, Kennedy had a plan that has now landed her little sister plenty of new friends.
“Every day, I’d ask ‘Hey Hadley, do you want to make some new friends today?’ She would say no, that she wanted to be with me. I told her ok, then tomorrow. But by the end of summer, she had a whole group of kids to hang out with.”
Kennedy, now a sixth grader at Yerington Intermediate School, began playing basketball at the Club at the age of seven. The Club’s learners league taught her the basics, got her involved, and ultimately led to a new passion. Through the years, she got better and now has opportunities to play on travel tournament teams throughout the season.
Overall, Kennedy is proud of the person she’s become and is very grateful for everyone who has pushed her to become who she is. Her mom and dad always encourage and help her in her schoolwork, where she also gets help and tutoring during Power Up in the afternoons. She said the Club has taught her to try her best every day, and Ms. Kristen pushes her to be the best she can be.
“I’m so thankful for all that I have in my life.”