05/08/2026
Last night in Trumbull, our Club family gathered at the CT State BGC Youth of the Year Dinner to cheer on two of our own: Alex Salley, our 2026 Youth of the Year, and Maya Hrabosky, our 2026 Future Leader of the Year. Watching them walk into that room was already a full-circle moment.
And then Maya's name was called.
Maya Hrabosky is the 2026 Connecticut State Boys & Girls Club Junior Youth of the Year.
If you know Maya, you're not surprised, and you're probably crying alongside us! She has been coming to the Club for six years. She is an 8th grader who chairs the Community Service Committee for Torch Club, organizes monthly sandwich-making for the Dorothy Day House, shows up for the Turkey Trot and the Ridgefield Road Fest, and on any regular after-school afternoon, finds the youngest kid in the room who needs a little extra attention and just... takes care of them. That's Maya.
In March, she was named BGCR's Future Leader of the Year at our Youth Leadership Dinner, our local recognition for middle school members that connects to the state's Junior Youth of the Year competition. She then went up against 13 Club members from across Connecticut. The judges saw exactly what we see every day.
She put it into words better than we ever could:
"The Club has taught me that even when my voice shakes, it still deserves to be heard. It showed me that I am stronger than my doubts and bigger than any judgment thrown my way. Because of this place, I've learned to stand tall on my bad days and how to help others on theirs. The Club didn't just help me grow, it gave me confidence when I had no one to stand around me, and most importantly, it gave me a community that feels like family."
Maya & Alex, thank you for representing our Club with so much heart last night. We are so proud of both of you and always will be.
And Maya, congratulations on a truly historic night. 💙 You reminded us that we can all do hard things, and why this work matters so much.
