Celebrating Our 2025 Youth of the Year Nominee
- May 13, 2025
- Latest News · News
We are thrilled to announce and congratulate our 2025 Youth of the Year nominee, Jacob Coons—a remarkable young leader who continues to inspire our community with his resilience, character, and dedication. Later this week, he will proudly represent our Club as he competes against four other exceptional nominees from across Maine for the honor of being named the State of Maine Youth of the Year.
The Youth of the Year program, led by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, is the highest honor a Club member can achieve. It recognizes outstanding leadership, academic excellence, and commitment to community service. Our nominee exemplifies these values and more.
Please join us in cheering him on as he takes this next exciting step. No matter the outcome, we couldn’t be prouder of his journey—and we know this is just the beginning of what will be a bright and impactful future.
#YouthOfTheYear #BGCMaine #GreatFutures
Jacob Coons – Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Waterville’s 2025 Youth of the Year Nominee
Hello, I am Jacob, Waterville’s 2024 nominee for the National Youth of the Year. I have been a member of the club for 13 years, and been involved in a variety of programs. Since I joined, I have been training in Karate through Club Naha Karate-Do. In 2023 I earned my first-degree black belt and achieved a state champion title. I also assist with the classes, seminars, and camps the dojo offers.
Much of my outlook in life is based on serving others, in pursuit of that I helped reestablish the club’s Rotary-Interact program, a community and international service organization, of which I became the elected president. I have also been fortunate enough to co-lead service trips and projects locally, nationally and even internationally. This involves fundraising initiatives, team preparation and development, and trip itself. Serving in places like Ecuador, Jamaica, the Galapagos, and the US-Mexico border has gifted me a diverse perspective on people and culture. Through these experiences I have learned so much about myself and made friends and connections that span years apart or thousands of miles away. When I’m not working on my academics, service, or martial arts, I like to read, write, and improve my bushcraft, practicing things like shelter and fire building. I look forward to taking my passion for martial arts and service to even greater heights in the near future.
