By SHIM LACY
For the Bulletin
Manteca Youth Focus (MYF) recently celebrated the accomplishments of the captains of their “All-Star Team” at their annual “Reaching for the Stars” leadership awards ceremony.
Hosted by MYF Board President, Judi Horton, the event is a cherished tradition that honors the youth leaders who served the organization and greater Manteca community over the past year.
In total 17 young people were presented with commendations from the MYF Board of Directors, City of Manteca, San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors, and Congressman Josh Harder for their year of service as titleholders, earning scholarships from last year’s MYF scholarship competitions.
Numerous civic organizations including the Manteca Chamber of Commerce, Wide Horizons, Boys and Girls Club of Manteca, and the Cpl. Charles O. Palmer II Memorial Troop Support Program also presented certificates of recognition for the youth leaders’ service to their causes.
Kennedy McLeod, age 16, and Trenton Bradshaw, age 14, were the winners of the teen division (ages 13-15) in last year’s competition; they have spent the past year serving as the official representatives of Manteca Youth Focus and ambassadors of goodwill for the “Family City” of Manteca.
The promoted community pride while attending key events such as the Manteca 4th of July Parade, National Night Out Celebration, Friends of the East Union Cemetery Car Show, Wide Horizons Salsa Showdown, Hope Family Shelter “Night of Hope” Gala, Manteca Pumpkin Fair, Manteca Twilight Holiday Parade, Great Valley BookFest, MYF Community Unity Benefit Concert, City of Manteca Christmas at the Center, Hospice of San Joaquin Tree of Lights, Manteca Boys and Girls Club Crab Feed, Kiwanis Night of Giving, Ripon Almond Blossom Festival Parade, and Manteca Crossroads Watermelon Street Faire.
They also supported local businesses by attending numerous mixers and coffees hosted by the
Manteca Chamber of Commerce and aided their fellow service team members with their advocacy projects.
McLeod chose Hope Family Shelters as the beneficiary of her advocacy project. She conducted a collection drive for personal hygiene and baby care items, gathering over 200 items valued at more than $1,100.
Bradshaw continued his dedicated service to the Cpl. Charles O. Palmer II Memorial Troop Support (MTSP) program by serving at nearly every troop pack event that the organization holds each year. Since the age of eight, he has volunteered with the organization and even raffled off his own bike as a small child one year and donated the funds to MTSP. This is his second MYF community advocacy project with the organization.
Bradshaw does odd jobs in his neighborhood like detailing cars and mowing lawns in order to raise funds for the organization to help with shipping costs associated with the care packages which are sent to active military in the US and overseas.
This year he set a lofty goal to organize his own troop pack event. He recruited help from his church, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, which provided the location free of charge as well as volunteers. Fellow members of the MYF All-Star Student Service Team also assisted by collecting personal hygiene items, treats and snacks and also volunteered to help pack.
Bradshaw raised over $4,300 and together the volunteers packed and shipped 105 care packages. In recognition of his tremendous achievement, the MTSP Board voted to award him a special $250 scholarship which was presented to him at the MYF leadership recognition ceremony by MTSP co-founder and Gold-Star parent, Teri Palmer.
McLeod is a sophomore at East Union High School and the recipient of a $500 scholarship from MYF. She is an honor student, a member of the LEAD Club (Loyalty, Empathy, Accountability and Determination), and active in volleyball at school and club level.
She is also a member of the City of Manteca Youth Advisory Commission.
She volunteers at numerous fire department events alongside her dad, Sterrie McLeod, a Battalion Chief with the Manteca Fire Department.
This was her first year of service with the MYF All-Star Student Service Team and she completed over 80 volunteer hours earning her a Silver Level President’s Volunteer Service Award from the Points of Light Foundation, signed by US President Joe Biden.
Bradshaw is an incoming freshman at East Union High School and the recipient of a $500 scholarship from MYF as well as the aforementioned additional $250 award from MTSP.
He is an honor student and accomplished musician, playing the trombone in his junior high band. He is very active at St. Paul’s where he assists as a sound technician for weekly services and sings in the choir.
He has been a member of MYF since 2021 and previously served as the Young Manteca City Ambassador 2021. This past year he amassed an impressive 345 volunteer hours, earning a Gold Level President’s Volunteer Service Award.
McLeod and Bradshaw will be featured in the entertainment cast of the upcoming Teen Manteca Scholarship Competition, under the direction of MYF Vice President, Douglas Scott, which will be held on Saturday, June 29, at 3 p.m. at Cornerstone Community Church in Manteca.
The duo has been working to help prepare the six boys and seven girls who are entered to compete for their chance to be crowned the next Miss Teen Manteca and Teen Manteca City Ambassador.
MYF is celebrating its 30th anniversary and the show will feature several alumni from the teen division including Teen Manteca City Ambassador 2003 (and California Teen Ambassador 2002), Matt Vaughan, who is back to host the competition and Miss Teen Winter Fest 2001, Stephanie Hilson, who is the featured vocalist.
“As the dedicated leaders of our teen division, Trenton and Kennedy have set a remarkable example of service and commitment,” Scott said. “Their tireless efforts with their advocacy projects have not only supported vital community programs but also inspired their peers and neighbors.”
“Trenton’s longstanding dedication to the MTSP and his outstanding troop pack event, along with Kennedy’s impactful collection drive for Hope Family Shelters, highlight their exceptional character and leadership. We are immensely proud of their achievements and grateful for their unwavering dedication to making a difference in the Manteca community.”
The MYF Board of Directors invites the community to attend all three of the upcoming scholarship competitions where 35 outstanding young people of achievement will compete for more than $9,000 in educational scholarships.
The competitions will take place Friday, June 28, at 7 p.m. for contestants ages 16-20 and Saturday, June 29, at 9:30 a.m. for contestants ages 10-12 and 3 p.m. for contestants ages 13-15.
All shows take place at Cornerstone Community Church in Manteca.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children and available for purchase online at MantecaYouthFocus.org or at the door.
Manteca Youth Focus programs are open to youth between the ages of 9-20 from the greater Manteca community which includes the cities of Manteca, Ripon, Lathrop and the communities of River Islands, French Camp, and Weston Ranch (South Stockton).
The organization also periodically sponsors recreational “prince and princess” fundraiser programs for children ages 9 and under. For more information on MYF programs email MantecaYouthFocus@gmail.com or visit www.MantecaYouthFocus.org.
