2026 Youth of the Year

Club staff, board members, community partners and leaders selected Rylan Kiser, 16-year-old 10^th grader at Dobyns-Bennett High School as Kingsport Boys & Girls Club local Youth of the Year winner for 2026.

Rylan will represent the Club at the Youth of the Year State Competition in Nashville in March where he will share his unique story about his experiences at the Club, his ambitions and goals for his future.

Rylan has been a club member for 6 years and is actively involved with club activities and the community. Before becoming a member of the club, Rylan was struggling. “I wasn’t the best kid,” he said. “I made mistakes and didn’t make the best decisions. All that changed when I joined the Club. I had a place where I could play sports and make friends. The Club gave me structure and purpose.”

Rylan credits Teen Director Tay Smith for a lot of his success. “She has helped me so much in my life. Ms. Tay helped me to come out of my shell and taught me the importance of being respectful and grateful for the things you have.”

The journey to becoming the Boys & Girls Clubs National Youth of the Year and Junior Youth of the Year is exciting and inspiring. Each year, thousands of Club teens participate in their local competitions from across the country. Winners from local competitions will compete at the state competition next. This year, the state Youth of the Year competition is in Nashville early March, where Rylan will share his story with state leaders and judges to determine If he becomes this years 2026 Tennessee State Youth of the Year.

Liam O’Hara, middle school student from Sullivan Heights Middle School, was selected as the club’s Junior Youth of the Year. Distinct from the National Youth of the Year program, Junior Youth of the Year seek to develop junior leaders ages 10-13 within the Club environment.

Liam has been a member of the Club for 4 years enjoys coming to the teen center every day after school. “The Club is a place that I can meet friends and learn new things,” Liam said. “Everyone is nice and friendly and I have so much fun playing games and doing all the activities.”

Youth of the Year nominees had to present to a panel of judges that consisted of community leaders from the area, including Vanessa Bennett from The Kingsport Chamber, Rob Arnold from BrightRidge Electric, Lori Arnold, a governmental accounting manager, and John Pendleton from MyCroft signs.

Each nominee shared their unique story and talked about their goals, ambitions and what it means to be a positive role model in their community.



The Club is proud of all of the nominees and their accomplishments. Club Leadership staff and part time staff express their excitement towards the winners and wish them the best of luck at the State competition. Each of these teens have shown tremendous growth and change over the years. The Club couldn’t be prouder of them for believing in themselves as much as we believe in them.