Night of celebration capped with 2026 Youth of the Year Announcement

by bgcmasonvalley | Feb 21, 2026 | News

YERINGTON, Nev. – After a night full of remembrance and celebration, Yerington High School senior Barbara C.-H. was named Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley’s 2026 Youth of the Year.

The youth organization held its annual awards banquet Saturday evening with a night full of emotion. The ceremony started by remembering two teen members who passed over the last year. Ethaniel Ferguson, a Silver Springs member and 2025 Junior Youth of the Year finalist, was awarded with a posthumous Youth of the Year award. Robert Garcia, the Club’s 2025 Youth of the Year, had his legacy cemented with the announcement of the Robert Garcia Youth of the Year Memorial Scholarship, to be given to the Club’s honoree each year. There was plenty to celebrate, too, as multiple staff and board members took the stage to honor Members of the Year, Volunteers of the Year, and numerous supporters and donors. Sarah R., the Dayton Torch Club President, was named the organization’s Junior Youth of the Year while five young Club Kids were named their clubhouses’ Member of the Year.

When Barbara first moved to Smith and Mason Valley from her family’s first home in Mexico, her and her brother didn’t speak English. While she was able to pick it up in a matter of two years, her brother’s age prevented him from learning as quickly. She would frequently have to translate for him. Barbara’s time at the Club came to a pause when she tore not one, but both, ACLs when she was 12 years old. Her parents wanted her to stay home for her physical health, but the isolation quickly affected her mental health. As she sat at home, she couldn’t wait to come back to the Club. When she returned, she started working through Junior Staff and joined her teen center’s Keystone Club, a service and leadership group for teens at the Club. Barbara advocates for better services and programs for youth as they work through language barriers, mental health problems and anger issues.

Lyon County Human Services took home one of the night’s top awards, the Champion of Youth. Boys & Girls Clubs of Mason Valley and the county department partner throughout the year on events like Day for Kids and Pinwheels for Prevention. Additionally, their new mental health and counseling teams, the Mobile Outreach Safety Team and Youth Mobile Crisis Team, have played integral roles through recent tragedies. From helping host a suicide prevention walk put on by Keystone Clubs to offering group and individual counseling services to Club members and families, Lyon County Human Services has provided vital services.

For going above and beyond in recent years, the Deborah and T.J. Day Foundation received the Blue Door Award. Their leaps in giving have provided new and larger opportunities for kids and teens. Round Table Pizza, which provides pizza to staff and volunteers at Night in the Country and year-round for Club family nights, youth programs, etc. was awarded the Appreciation Award. The Madera family, owners of Valley Collision and Club volunteers, took home the Helping Hands Award while Paul Hayes, a volunteer in the Club’s Yerington kitchen, was named Volunteer of the Year.

Barbara will next compete at the Nevada State Youth of the Year celebration, held in Las Vegas this March 12-14.

FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS

Youth of the Year
Barbara C.-H.

Junior Youth of the Year
Sarah R.

Members of the Year
Cedric S, E. L. Wiegand Early Learning Center
David I. III, Hawthorne Clubhouse
Elva G., Yerington Clubhouse
Abigail M., Dayton Clubhouse
River B., Silver Springs Clubhouse

Posthumous Youth of the Year
Ethaniel Ferguson

Appreciation Award
Round Table Pizza

Helping Hands Award
The Madera Family

Volunteer of the Year
Paul Hayes

Staff of the Year
Randall Wilcox

Years of Service Awards
Teri Trout – 25 Years
Justin Aguilar – 10 Years
Lindsey Crowder – 5 Years
Joslyn Montano – 5 Years
Louie Ramos – 5 Years

Blue Door Award
The Deborah and T.J. Day Foundation

Champion of Youth Award
Lyon County Human Services

MEDIA CONTACT
Nick Beaton
nbeaton@bgcmasonvalley.org
775-684-9438
@Beatonick