Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area introduces the Club Youths of the Year for 2025 ahead of our Annual Steak N Burger Dinner on March 4.

• From the Florence Club: Kimora Hines Fryson, a sixth-grade student at Williams Middle and seven-year Club member, wants to graduate at the top of her class and become a licensed cosmetologist. She enjoys basketball in the City Recreation league and flag football at the Club. “[The staff] listens to me, calms me down, and helps me find a way to think through my problems… [They] have always been there for me.”
• From the Hartsville Club: Aiden Green, a seventh-grade student at LOL Steam School of the Arts and eight-year Club member, wants to become an entrepreneur and rapper. His favorite activities at the Club include The Torch Club, where he serves as president, and the drone class. “The Club is a place where everyone matters… it’s like a second home.”
• From the Rick & Susan Goings Boys & Girls Club in Hemingway: Taylor Lewis, a seven-year Club member in the eighth grade at Connexus Academy, wants to become a criminal justice lawyer. The youngest of 12, she enjoys reading, cooking, playing sports, and serving at her church. She serves as a youth staff member and was runner-up for last year’s Pee Dee Youth of the Year title. “That experience taught me the value of perseverance and hard work. I’ve learned that winning isn’t everything and that the journey is just as important as the destination.”
• From the Lake City Club: Genesis Majors, a senior at J. Paul Truluck School and eight-year Club member, wants to become a nurse practitioner and athletic trainer. She enjoys dance, photography, and softball, and participates in Dramatic Coffee Beans as president and in the choir at East Lake City Holiness Church. “Most importantly, [the Boys & Girls Club] helped me see that I have the power to create the future I want.”
• From the Pamplico Club: Paisley Bell, a fifth-grade student at Hannah-Pamplico Elementary Middle, wants to attend Johnson & Wales University to become a chef. Besides cooking, she enjoys gardening and drama. “I look forward to coming to the Club after school because of all the different programs we can participate in like SMART Girls and STEM.” 
• From the Timmonsville Club: Kyrielle Flynn, fourth-grade student at Brockington Elementary who wants to own her own bakery. She enjoys participating in SMART Girls program at Boys & Girls Club, learning sign language, and dancing. At the Club, she can express herself openly to staff and spend time with friends in a safe environment. “They encourage and inspire me to be better.”

You can meet these young people (and other Club members) at our Annual Steak-N-Burger Dinner honoring our Youths of the Year from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 4, at First Presbyterian Church, 700 S. Park Ave. Adults enjoy a hamburger dinner alongside what often is the youth’s first steak dinner. Each table consists of adults and Club members for this unique learning opportunity.

At the end of the night, we announce the Youth of the Year winner and present the Carraway Turner Leadership Fund scholarships.

Contributions to the Fund and the Clubs does more than send a few young people to college. Through Boys & Girls Clubs we inspire and enable all young people from throughout the Pee Dee Area, especially those who need us most, to become productive, responsible, and caring citizens.

For tickets or to contribute to the scholarship fund, visit https://bit.ly/SNB2025.

Carraway Turner Leadership Fund

In 2019, a generous donation from Health Facilities Federal Credit Union, now known as South Carolina Federal Credit Union, created the Carraway Turner Leadership Fund in memory of Sgt. Terrence Carraway and Investigator Farrah Turner, who both lost their lives as a result of the tragic events on October 3, 2018, in Florence. After learning of both officers’ close ties to the Boys & Girls Club, HFFCU CEO Robert Harris and the HFFCU Board created the fund in their memory supporting youth at the Boys & Girls Club.

The Fund provides scholarships to the Youth of the Year for pursuing education after high school. South Carolina Federal Credit Union continues the legacy of HFFCU as very generous supporters of the Boys & Girls Club.

About the Boys & Girls Clubs 

Our mission is to inspire and enable all youth, from throughout the Pee Dee area, especially those that need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Our Clubs are located in Florence, Hartsville, Hemingway, Lake City, Pamplico, and Timmonsville and fill the gap between school and home with a welcoming, positive environment in which kids and teens have fun, participate in life-changing programs, and build supportive relationships with peers and caring adults.

• Academic Success: Graduating from high school ready for college, trade school, military, or employment
• Good Character & Leadership: Being an engaged citizen involved in the community, registered to vote, and modeling good character
• Healthy Lifestyles: Adopting a healthy diet, practicing healthy lifestyle choices, and making a lifelong commitment to fitness.

Steak-N-Burger Dinner

• 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 4
• First Presbyterian Church, 700 S. Park Ave., Florence
• Individual Tickets: $35
• Contributions to the Carraway Turner Leadership Fund can be made through our website at https://bit.ly/SNB2025.