The Boys & Girls Clubs of Wichita Falls is proud to announce June Youths of the Month. Briana Morriss, of the Southeast Branch, is the Kiwanis Club of Wichita Falls Youth of the Month. Damion Fisher, from the Southwest Branch, is the Optimist Club of Wichita Falls Youth of the Month. Kaylynn Baswell, from the Southwest Branch, is the Rotary Club of Wichita Falls Youth of the Month.
Service clubs sponsor three age divisions. Kiwanis Club of Wichita Falls sponsors 6-8 year olds. Optimist of Wichita Falls sponsors 9-11 year olds. Rotary Club of Wichita Falls sponsors 12-18 year olds.
Interviewers Carey Lewis (Rotary Club of Wichita Falls) and Rodney Case (Optimist Club of Wichita Falls) considered the following attributes while selecting the City Wide Youths of the Month:
- Home & Family Involvement
- Community Contributions
- Academic Achievements
- Boys & Girls Club participation
- Spiritual Values
Nominees for the Kiwanis Division included:
- Kyerica Howard, Rosewood Branch
- Derek Chatman, Northeast Branch
- Briana Morriss, Southeast Branch
- Alicia Brower, Central Branch
- Devonte Jenkins, Southwest Branch
- Keionna Murphy, Northwest Branch
Nominees for the Optimist Division included:
- K’Desmond, Rosewood Branch
- Eric Williams, Northeast Branch
- Tyreese Warner, Northwest Branch
- Malani Golden, Central Branch
- Jaidyn Johnson, Southeast Branch
- Damion Fisher, Southwest Branch
Nominees for the Rotary Division included:
- Andrew Kindrick, Central Branch
- Lawrence Gibson, Northeast Branch
- Jacob Bradley, Northwest Branch
- Cristian Villegas, Southeast Branch
- Kaylynn Baswell, Southwest Branch
Generous sponsors include: Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Times/Record News
Briana Morriss is the 7 year old daughter of Christopher and Amber Morris. She attends the Southeast Branch where Mrs. Charlene Vomastek is Club Director.
Briana has three brothers and two sisters. She is very helpful around the house and even enjoys helping with cooking and kitchen chores. Additional duties include taking out the trash and helping in the yard. Briana also helps out with her autistic brother especially with his reading.
Briana is has all A average on her report card and as a 1st grader at Fain Elementary. She is in the Gifted and Talented Program. She tested to be at a 3rd grade level. Brianna’s favorite class is math. She says going to school is important because “we have to learn!”
Briana has been attending the Southeast Branch for about a year now. She loves to help staff with their duties and enjoys participating in a variety of programs including basketball, Power Hour, Club Tech, and Reading Programs as well as arts and crafts. Triple Play-Healthy Habits & Challenges are also on her list of enjoyable activities while at the club. Briana rarely misses the opportunity to go swimming at the Central swimming pool.
Branch Director Charlene Vomastek said, “Briana is always sharing her smile and being respectful. She is just an all ‘round wonderful child!”
Damion is the 12 year old son of Bobby and stepmom Dawn Fisher. He attends the Southwest Branch of the Boys & Girls Club where Ms. Tori Smith is Director.
Damion has four brothers, all younger than he is, and a sister who is 11 years old. He helps his mom mop, sweep, vacuum, and also helps with the laundry. Other responsibilities at home include cleaning his room as well as helping his mom with the rest of the house. Damion supervises his younger siblings, takes out the trash, and washes the meal time dishes.
Damion attends Sunday school and church four times a month and has attended for the past 6 years. He actively reads his Bible and prays daily at meals and at bed time. He practices his faith every day!
Damion is in the 7th grade at McNeil Jr. High and maintains a 4.0 GPA. Mathematics is his favorite class and he is a class officer. Other school clubs include JAV team, UIL Teams of Spelling, Social Studies, Science, and Dictionary Skills. He was in the Top 10 of his class for accelerated Reading and was named Valedictorian out of all the 4th,5th, and 6th grade class mates. Damion believes school is important because “it teaches you what you need to learn to be an adult. Life without education means the best I can do is probably minimum wage and I might not be able to get a good job.” He plans to go to college and study electronic engineering.
Damion has been a regular at the Boys & Girls Club for the past five years and is active in a variety of programs and activities. He enjoys participating in the Arts and Crafts Program and has won awards in both Fine Arts Program and Image Makers Photography programs. Other programs that he enjoys include Club Tech, Power Hour, Peer Leader and Jr. Staff programs, Reading, Triple Play Challenges in the gym, and swimming at the Central Branch. Damion has graduated from Beginners’ Sign Language Club to Intermediate Sign Language Club and is in the Young Einstein Club. As a Torch Club member, he has been involved in over 103 different community service activities in the past four years.
Director Tori Smith said, “Damion is a model club member and loves to help others!”
Kaylynn is the 14 year old daughter of Jared & Lindsay Baswell.
She has one brother and two sisters. Household responsibilities include taking care of the family pet, helping her mother with meals, cleaning up afterwards, sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming. She also sees that the trash is put out for pickup and that her younger sister stays out of trouble!
Kaylynn will be a freshman at Hirschi High School this year. Her favorite subject is math. She says “School is important because it is helping me learn a lot of things that will help me improve in all my subjects.” School extracurricular sports include volleyball and basketball. She hopes to study for her Bachelor’s Degree and serve as a firefighter.
Kaylynn has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Wichita Falls for more than seven years. During that time she has been very active in leadership clubs such as Peer Leaders, Junior Staff, and Keystone Clubs. She is the Historian for the Keystone Club and has served as Teen advisor for the Torch Club for the past two years. Kaylynn has earned awards in both the Image Makers Photography and Fine Arts Exhibits. She has been a counselor at the Camp Graham Ball and received many camp awards over the years. Other Club related activities include Beginners and intermediate Sign Language Club, Club Tech, Power Hour, and Smart Girls. Kaylynn was selected as one of three youth members to represent their Keystone Club in South Africa for a 14 day conference to encourage peace and understanding. She was hired as a Senior Counselor at Camp Graham Ball because of her diligence.
Kaylynn has been a member of her church for five years and attends as frequently as she can with her friends. She is a member of the youth group and feels that prayer is a very important part of her life.