Boys & Girls Clubs name LV teen Youth of the Year

Kimberley McGee

Friday, July 13, 2001 | 4:17 a.m.

It was by accident that Mirna Avalos came to the front steps of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas on East Stewart Avenue.

"That day changed the way my life was going," Avalos said.

On a hot day in the summer of 1995 she and her mother were driving on Stewart Avenue when a car plowed into them. Their car came to rest in front of the Boys & Girls Clubs building.

At the sound of broken glass and screeching tires, employees of the community center went to investigate. True to the charitable nature of the organization, they did what they could for the accident victims.

"We were surprised at how they came out and helped us," the 17-year-old said. "I was overwhelmed, so was my mom, at how helpful and comforting they were."

Avalos and her mother, Bertha, walked away with minor bumps and bruises as well as a new respect for the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Avalos joined the club the next day.

"I knew every day that I went that I would learn something new," she said.

Avalos, a six-year member of the Boys & Girls Clubs, has been named the 2001 Youth of the Year for Nevada by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

The award recognizes members' contributions to their communities, academic achievements and triumph over adversity.

Avalos will go on to compete in the regional contest for Pacific Youth of the Year in August. If she wins she will compete for the National Youth of the Year in September in Washington, D.C. The national winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Reader's Digest Association.

A senior at Desert Pines High School, Avalos has a 3.0 grade point average. She is also a member of the varsity track and soccer teams and is the treasurer of the Student Organization of Latinos.

She has gathered toys for orphans, picked up trash on the Strip, assisted the elderly and worked with Americorps' Kids Helping Kids program.

She's tireless.

"I like to help people," Avalos said. "I think of myself in that situation and I would want someone to help me."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America provides guidance and character development programs, such as Youth of the Year and the Keystone Club, for children ages 6-18.

"We want to keep kids positive," said James Allen, unit director for the Boys & Girls Clubs on East Carey Avenue, who is also Avalos' mentor. "Mirna is a good example of what can happen there."

Finding home

Avalos was born in Mexico in 1984. Her mother, Bertha, was a 17-year-old who wanted out of the impoverished Mexican town she and her family called home.

In 1986 she came to the United States, leaving her daughter with her family until she could raise money and create a home for her daughter.

Avalos joined her mother in Las Vegas in 1990. She knew only a few words of English. On her first day at Fay Herron Elementary School she was introduced to the class and shyly took her seat.

The language barrier left her isolated in the back of the room, but not for long. As her mother had yearned for a better life, so did Avalos.

She quickly learned the language of her peers and made friends easily. But she didn't have much time for games and giggles with girlfriends.

At age 7 Avalos began to teach her mother, Bertha, the new English words she was learning at school. She helped her mother with the bank statements, paying the bills and filling out job applications.

As the oldest of three children, Avalos also cleaned the small apartment, cooked meals and took care of her younger siblings, Ricardo, 13, and Selene, 8. Each night she sat with them at the kitchen table and helped them with their homework.

The family moved often. Schools, friends and homes were fleeting. There was no permanence in her life, she said.

At the time her stepfather began to drink heavily. He became physically and mentally abusive.

"It was hard," Avalos said. "I just wanted it easier."

The Boys & Girls Clubs' focus on play, as well as education, gave Avalos something her daily life lacked -- fun.

For the few hours she spent at the center she forgot her grown-up responsibilities and returned to childhood.

"I could be myself, a kid," she said. "It was different there. It was my second home."

The club offered stability and a caring staff she could turn to when her determination began to crumble.

"Everytime I went, there was somebody to talk to," Avalos said.

One person in particular, Allen, took the time to listen to Avalos' worries about school, her sometimes-tense relationship with her mother and the usual teenage angst.

"Sometimes I wouldn't get along with my mom and he'd tell me everything will be OK," Avalos said. "I'd think, 'I don't want to go to school anymore, I can't do this anymore, I'm just tired,' and he would say to keep going."

The young girl's passion to learn and improve her life, as well as others', inspired Allen in return.

"She is an exceptional person," Allen said. "She was always there to help -- for free! She's such an inspiration to the kids."

Last year Allen saw Avalos' strong spirit begin to bend under the pressure of her life.

He sat down with her one afternoon to offer advice. She admitted that she felt overwhelmed and tired. Her relationship with her mother was strained. They discussed why her mother was worried about her, why her life felt out of control and -- more importantly -- why she couldn't give up.

"She doesn't see that her mother pushes her because she wants her to have a better life," Allen said. "And she will."

Homeward bound

College admission forms are already piling up for Avalos to fill out. She plans to attend UNLV next year and major in business administration so that she may return to the center in a professional capacity.

"They've done so much for me," Avalos said. "I want to do that for someone else."

Allen continues to watch over Avalos, who works 25 hours a week at the North Las Vegas location on East Carey Avenue. She intends to continue working there through college.

There is always someone who will walk into the club needing a smile or a hand up, as Avalos once did, she said. She wants to be there for the next lost little girl.

"I thank God every day for what little I have because at least I'm alive and well," Avalos said. "I've got things I can share."

She is preparing for the regional competition for the Pacific Region Youth of the Year award in California. Among other skills she will be judged on her school grades, leadership abilities and will give a speech on all that the club has done for her.

But in Avalos' case, many at the club have learned from her, Allen said.

"To see her and the way she is so willing to help people is impressive," Allen said. "It's so rare to see someone who wants to help like she does."

Avalos will rely mainly on scholarships to pay for college. The $10,000 prize from the national award would be a welcome relief.

"I'm nervous," she said. "But I've gotten this far."

And that was no accident.