Help kids soar like eagles

Growing up in a Lake City neighborhood where her opportunities felt limited, one young girl felt like a castaway. Genesis Majors wanted more but didn’t know if it was even possible. Middle school and mean girls pressured her into a corner. She felt small and lost.

Then, she stepped inside the Boys & Girls Club.

Her speech impediment didn’t matter. She felt seen and heard. She made friends, and Club staff empowered her to build her self-esteem.

“The Boys & Girls Club helped me find my voice,” Genesis says.

Miss Megan took her under her wing and taught her to fly on her own. Genesis learned about resilience and self-worth. Club staff worked with her to understand the academic material to catch up in her schoolwork and gave her confidence to believe in her abilities.

Staff listened to her struggles every day after school and gave her the encouragement and guidance she needed to change her mindset from victim to victor.

“The Club gave me the tools to change my life,” Genesis says. At the club, she worked alongside two college graduates who helped her navigate the application process and search for scholarships.

Now a senior at J. Paul Truluck Creative Arts & Science Magnet School, she plays softball and helps care for students as Lake City High School’s athletic trainer assistant.

“The Club helped me believe in myself, work hard, and chase my dreams. It gave me a sense of belonging and community that I had been missing,” she says. “Most importantly, it helped me see that I have the power to create the future I want.”

Genesis has won Youth of the Year two years in a row for the Lake City Club and for the Pee Dee Area. She plans to continue her education at Francis Marion University to become an athletic trainer.

In June, Genesis will take her first flight to Atlanta for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Southeast Regional Youth of the Year Event. You can follow her adventure on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter #bgcpeedee #FlyGenesis.