Elijah Voyd
"The Club is the reason why I am who I am today. It gives me self-confidence and hope. It's important to me because there are people who care about me."
- Elijah Voyd, 2006 Columbus Clubhouse Youth of the Year
With his grace, confidence and fancy footwork on stage, it's hard to imagine that Elijah Voyd – an aspiring professional dancer – wasn't always comfortable in his own shoes. A shy and introverted child with few friends, Elijah, now 14, says he gained confidence in all areas of his life since he joined the Club eight years ago.
Elijah is deeply entrenched in the Club's Performing Arts Program. Dancing provides him with an outlet for positive self-expression, helping him overcome many of the obstacles and challenges in his life. "The Club has helped me feel good about myself," says Elijah, who serves as junior dance instructor. "Without the Club, I wouldn't have anywhere to express myself."
But dance isn't the only area in which Elijah excels. At the Clubhouse, he's also active in the Arts & Crafts program, the Crochet Club, and the Empowerment Program, an anti-drug and -alcohol initiative. At school, he's training to become a lifeguard, maintains a high GPA, and serves as class president. Following in the footsteps of his sister – a role model for Elijah, who grew up without his parents – he shows a true dedication to volunteerism. In fact, he was recently appointed a junior team leader for "Young Heroes," a program created by CityYear, a non-profit dedicated to volunteerism.
"Elijah is one of the most looked-up-to teens in our Clubhouse," said Elizabeth Ortiz, performing arts instructor at Columbus and one of Elijah's mentors. "He is a team player and constantly encourages other kids to do better. Not only does Elijah deserve the Youth of the Year Award, but if they had a youth of the decade award I'm sure he would win."