Cherish Morrison, a freshman at Blaine high school, has been named Youth of the Year for Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. Cherish was honored at the annual awards dinner for Boys & Girls clubs of Whatcom County on January 26 at Northwood Hall in Bellingham.
Each youth participant submitted a series of essays and delivered a speech to a panel of judges.

The program is designed to promote and recognize service to Clubs and communities, academic performance and contributions to family life.
As the countywide winner, Cherish will advance to the two day statewide competition held this April in Seattle and Olympia where she will compete against fourteen other state finalists. The winner of the State Youth of the Year will be announced by Governor Christine Gregoire at a breakfast in the Governor’s Mansion and receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Winners from each state advance to the regional finals held at Disneyland in the spring. The five regional finalists each receive a $10,000 scholarship and compete for the National Youth of the Year honor which will be announced by President Barack Obama at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Congressional Breakfast in Washington, D.C. The National Youth of the Year receives a $15,000 scholarship.

Cherish maintains a 3.5 GPA at Blaine High School, runs track, plays violin and marches in the Pep Band. She is very active at the club where she participates in Smart Girls, Newspaper Club, Knitting Club, runs the Snack Shack and takes piano lessons. Cherish makes a positive impact on the club each and every day.

Also honored at the Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County annual awards dinner was Mike Kent as Blaine Board Member of the Year for his dedication to community youth; Georgia Donovan as Blaine Pace Setter Award for her outstanding fundraising efforts; Sean Miller as Volunteer of the Year for the Blaine Club for his commitment to the Boys & Girls Club athletic program; and program director Tony Clark as Rookie of the Year.