Inspiring others to dream was the message University of South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer wanted to convey as he spoke to local youth on Wednesday night.
“Like all of you, I had dreams growing up and that was to be a college athlete and then I got the dream to be a football coach in college,” he said. “My dream was to be the head football coach at the University of South Carolina.”
As a way to build the next generation of dreamers in the community, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta held its A Million Dreams event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in North Augusta on April 24. Beamer was the keynote speaker.
“Today is a celebration about our youths of the year,” Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta president and CEO Kim Evans said.
The event also serves as a fundraiser to support the organization's mission.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta serves youth in Richmond, Washington, McDuffie and Columbia counties. The organization will open up a site this fall in North Augusta.
Evans said said its mission is to inspire and enable people, especially those who need us the most to reach their full potential as carry, responsible and productive citizens.
“This is all about our kids and the youth of the year and all of their dreams,” Evans said.
The Boys and Girls Clubs also received an anonymous $1 million donation to support its mission.
“I hope that it will inspire our community to keep giving to the programs that Boys and Girls Club have,” Evans said.
Beamer talked about how people inspired him and poured into his dreams just like the Boys and Girls Clubs have done for so many people. He said it’s about connecting and getting to know people.
“We can have that impact as we pour into them," he said.
He said as a coach he gets to talk to his players about their goals and dreams.
"We want people in our program who want to dream big," he said.
In addition to Beamer speaking, Boys and Girls Clubs Youth of Year, as well Youth the Year finalists, shared their dreams.
Nakayla English, who is the 2024 Youth of the Year, wants to break the cycle in how people view Black people. She wants people to see that she can be a successful Black women, and someone who didn't become a product of her environment.
“I think of us a stereotype, but think of us as an empty canvas waiting to be painted on with all full of color and textures and and not just a stereotype," she said.
MaKenzie Watson, 2022 Youth of the Year, said growing up she had a lot of dreams, but her current dream is to inspire young women who are creative.
“When the film found me it gave me a voice to express what I wanted to do and Boys and Girls Club helped to cultivate that dream in me,” she said.
Zyani Recendiz-Rodriguez, 2023 Youth of the Year finalist, said her dream is to become a bilingual physician assistant to give back to the Latino/Latinx community in Augusta. She said the reason is because she would have to be the translator for her grandma each time they went to the doctor.
“I can change that,” she said .
Having a dream won't be easy, but it will take a lot of determination in helping the youth to dream, Beamer said.
“I think it is our obligation and duty as we continue to help the youth," Beamer said.
