Youth of the Year award winner announced

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee has named Tommy Walls, the 2010 Northwestern Mutual Foundation Youth of the Year. Youth of the Year is the highest honor a Boys & Girls Club member can receive, he is among hundreds of winners across the country that have been recognized for sound character, leadership skills, and willingness to give back to the community.  
“Tommy serves as a wonderful example of how a child can not only overcome significant challenges but also excel as a student, leader and role model,” said Deanna Tillisch, vice president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation.  “We are honored to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee to recognize outstanding youth like Tommy, and to help the community secure future generations.”
As an infant, Walls was faced with dire circumstances, his mother was mentally disabled, HIV positive and addicted to drugs. As a child, his father was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Wells moved to Milwaukee when he was 14, to live with an adult cousin. Once in a stable home, he organized family game nights, Sunday dinners and immersed himself in classes sports and extracurricular activities. He holds a 3.7 GPA at Marshall High School, and has been a Boys & Girls Club member for the last four years.
Locally, Youth of the Year is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Foundation and recognizes eight Club members, ranging in age from 14 to 18 years, who are honored for their leadership, service and academic standing.
“Tommy is a young man very worthy of praise,” said Jim Clark, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. “In the Clubs, he found a place where he could flourish as a leader. He has earned the respect of both his peers and Club staff. We greatly appreciate Northwestern Mutual Foundation’s support of our Youth of the Year Program and our remarkable Club members like Tommy.”
Walls will compete against other Boys & Girls Club members from throughout the state for the Wisconsin Youth of the Year title and a $1,000 scholarship from Reader’s Digest, a sponsor of Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s National Youth of the Year Competition. Beyond that there is a regional and national Youth of the Year competition with additional scholarship opportunities.