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Positive change

• Camilla teenager Montorie Lee has been recognized for becoming a positive force in the Boys & Girls Club.

Cathy Higgins

CAMILLA — A decade ago, 18-year-old Montorie Lee of Camilla wouldn't have dreamed Boys & Girls Club of America would name him the 2006 Southeast Regional Youth of the Year.

"I was a troubled kid, partly, because my skin was so dark," the middle of five children said. "I would get written up at school. I was always getting into fights."

But one experience with a Boys & Girls Club representative was all it took to change the 2006 Mitchell-Baker High School graduate's life.

"I first started out when I was in the third grade," Lee said. "Mike Hackett asked me why I wasn't in school. He invited me to play basketball at the Boys & Girls Club."

Since that time, Lee has become a fixture in the organization.

"It's been 11 years now," he said.

Today, Lee is more than a participant.

"I'm one of the teen workers," he said. "I work in the arts department helping with poetry, dance teams and drill teams. I also help out during the Power Hour — the hour they do their homework."

Although Lee takes an active leadership role in the Boys & Girls Club, learning responsibility hasn't been easy.

"I recently got myself together," he said. "I started off in high school and faltered along the way. It's only been in the 11th and 12th grades that I made up after failing before."

It was Lee's dedication to turn his life around that made Boys & Girls Club representatives take notice.

"They saw the big change in myself," he said.

Lee's efforts earned him the honor of being named Youth of the Year at the state and regional levels this summer, which include an award of $11,000 in scholarship funds and a chance to be recognized at the national level this fall.

"The national competition is in September," Lee said, "in a congressional dinner held in Washington, D.C."

President George W. Bush will present the national title and a $15,000 scholarship during a ceremony in the Oval Office.

Regardless of whether he wins, Lee is looking forward to his first trip to the nation's Capitol.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said.

Lee's involvement in Boys & Girls Club has not only earned him honors, but it's also helped him develop his creative side. That includes writing poetry.

"I write about experiences, different views on life and politics," Lee said. "There's no specific genre."

The teenager also writes skits for his high school's student council to perform.

"I'm doing more collaborations with the student council," Lee said. "Simple situations and different scenarios."

With his life on track, Lee is looking forward his future. This fall he plans to enter the U.S. Navy to become a hospital corpsman, which he's planned on for some time.

"I've been in Junior ROTC since I started high school," Lee said, explaining that a love of military life runs in his family. "My father was in the Army. I always liked the military."

Lee's life is filled with plans and activity. But he still keeps one thing his top priority.

"My schedule is based around the Boys & Girls Club," Lee said. "I'm always playing basketball or doing something there."

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