On the Town: Boys & Girls Club shines spotlight on young honoree
Since the late 1990s, the Boys & Girls Club of Burbank and the Greater East Valley has used its annual gala fundraiser to honor notable individuals.
From local elected officials and city managers to significant supporters and the club’s founding members, the honorees have been those whose names have been recognizable to a broad spectrum of the Burbank community.
This year, as the youth organization staged its gala under the theme Fiesta 2017 to coincide with Cinco de Mayo, the evening’s honoree was one whose name and face are not that recognizable — yet.
Welcomed by Shanna Warren, the club’s chief executive, Brittany Vaughan, director of operations, Dan Stillwell, board president, Joan Ortiz, event chairwoman, and more than 400 supporters convened at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel to honor club member Margo Akopov.
Having been honored at last year’s gala, along with U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and one of the club’s founders, the late Barbara Sykes, Akopov was named as the organization’s 2016 Youth of the Year.
Since earning that recognition, the Burbank High School senior went on to become the Los Angeles County Alliance for Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year, distinguishing herself from more than 140,000 youth ages 6 to 18 throughout the 26 Boys & Girls Clubs in Los Angeles County.
A member and captain of the local club’s dance team, Akopov was a Torch Club participant in middle school and, this past year, served as the elected president of the Keystone Club, the Boys & Girls Club’s program that provides leadership development opportunities for youth ages 14 to 18.
A leader in initiating community-outreach events devoted to empowering local teens, Akopov has been a participant in speech and debate tournaments, placed third at the county level in dramatic interpretation, and has served as vice president of Burbank High’s dramatic play production program in which she staged acting workshops for local teens struggling with confidence.
She also planned group bonding and leadership activities, including the production of shows to raise money for the Burbank Rotary Club
With a weighted grade-point average of 4.12, Akopov has been identified in the top 10% of the 660 seniors in her graduating class and has also been recognized with an advanced-placement scholar award in recognition of exemplary college-level achievement on her AP exams.
Emceed by NBC4 sportscaster Mario Solis and attended by numerous dignitaries — including state Sen. Anthony Portantino, Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, Mayor Will Rogers and city manager Ron Davis — this year’s gala chalked up another fundraising success for the club thanks to many dedicated individuals, including: Sally Knutson, Lynn White Shelby, Kimberly Abesamis, Dave Augustine, Michelle Bouse, Jorge Somoano, Garett Chipman, Michael Dragan, Bret Hannifin, Paul Herman, Susan Kim, Leena Mathew, Mathew Poage, Sherine Saad-Anderson, Joe Santos, Al Shapiro, Riad Sleiman, Alan Tate, Terry Walker, Denis Cremins, Brian O’Rourke, Michael Walbrecht and club staff members Mira Shah, Susan Sebastian, Jay Jackson, Arpineh Khodagholian, Kevin Bulone, Lupe Herrera and Mike Graceffo.
Since 1995, when the club began with 75 kids, it has grown to become a vital part of the Burbank youth community, serving more than 1,650 kids at the main club and 17 satellite sites.
The club offers a variety of enrichment programs designed to help young people experience a positive sense of self and build strong character.
For more information, visit BGCBurbank.org or call (818) 842-9333.
DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
