PASCO Wash. - It’s been an exciting month for 15 year-old Zane Castilleja. This past February, Zane was chosen as the 2018 Boys & Girls Club of Benton and Franklin Counties Youth of the Year by community judges. Being named Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive.

Last week at an awards ceremony in Seattle, Zane was named the 2018 Washington State Youth of the Year. Zane, a sophomore at Prosser High School, was among 12 Youth of the Year winners across the state to compete for the title and was chosen by 10 State & National judges based on his outstanding character, leadership skills and willingness to give back to the community. As the new teen representative for all Boys & Girls Clubs in Washington, Zane will receive $5,000 in college scholarships to continue his path toward success.

“I am incredible honored to have been selected as the Boys & Girls Club’s 2018 Washington State Youth of the Year. I am looking forward to representing the 74,000 Club youth from throughout our state. The Club has taught me to be a servant leader and the best role model I can be. I will use my title to inspire my peers to join me in making a difference now and into the future,” states Zane.

Zane has been a member of the Prosser Boys & Girls Club for five years. He is actively engaged in leadership activities and has attended various leadership conferences including the Washington State Keystone Summit. Keystone is a leadership program offered by Boys & Girls Clubs. Zane hopes to attend the University of Washington to pursue a career as a surgical nurse.
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“We are so proud that Zane will represent Club youth as an ambassador throughout Washington State. Zane is a shining example of the outcome and impact the Boys & Girls Club has on community children and teens,” states Brian Ace, Boys & Girls Club of Benton and Franklin Counties Executive Director.
Each year a “Youth of the Year” is chosen to represent Washington in Boys & Girls Club of America’s Pacific Region Youth of the Year competition. This year’s regional competition will be held in Los Angeles in July. Winners are selected first at a Club level, then state, regional and national levels.

​In an effort to assist local veterans in need, the Department of Energy’s Richland Operations Office with support from Hanford Site contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA), is donating excess clothing. More than 250 pieces of clothing including pants, shirts, sweatshirts, vests, jackets, coveralls, and bib overalls, valued at more than $16,000, will be donated to the Columbia Basin Veterans Opportunity Center (CBVOC). 
 
The CBVOC provides a variety of services to local veterans. In addition to helping veterans access benefits they have earned through their service, they also offer transitional housing, counselors and case managers, and assistance with identifying education and employment opportunities. The CBVOC requested the clothing in order to assist local veterans in finding civilian employment. This is the second donation of its kind to this organization, bringing the total value of excess clothing donations to the CBVOC to more than $27,000 in the last two years.
 
As the Hanford Site integrator, MSA processes excess property, including clothing, from DOE and Hanford’s prime contractors. Property is excessed in many ways, including through direct donations.