March 24, 2026:
Pierre T.F. Riggs High School junior Xoe Murphy has earned the honor of being the South Dakota Boys & Girls Club 2026 Youth of the Year.
The state contest included giving a short speech. Today in the second part of a two part series, Murphy– who works at the Boys & Girls Club of the Capital Area in Pierre– shared a little about the speech she gave and who inspired it.
At the Club, Murphy works with 2nd and 3rd graders. In the speech, she talked about her relationship with a student that’s in the foster care system.
Murphy said staff at the Club provided a lot of help making her feel comfortable presenting her speech.
Murphy said another part of the state Youth of the Year contest included an interview with a panel of three people.
Murphy will represent South Dakota at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Midwest Youth of the Year competition in June in Chicago. According to their website, the Midwest Region for the Youth of the Year contest typically includes youth leaders from Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Xoe Murphy (third from left) and the other South Dakota Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year finalists met Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen (right of Murphy), Gov. Larry Rhoden (right of Venhuizen) and First Lady Sandy Rhoden (right of Gov. Rhoden).
Photo courtesy of Ashlee Spiger.
Xoe Murphy with staff and members of the Boys & Girls Club of the Capital Area in Pierre.
Photo courtesy of Ashlee Spiger.
Xoe Murphy with Matt Watrous of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Photo courtesy of Ashlee Spiger.
March 23, 2026:
A junior at T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre will represent South Dakota in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Midwest Youth of the Year competition in June.
Today, in part one of a two part series, Xoe Murphy first talks about when she first began going to the Boys & Girls Club of the Capital Area when she was five years old.
After participating in Club activities when she was younger, Murphy knew she eventually wanted to work there.
At the Club, Murphy works with 2nd and 3rd graders and enjoys seeing the progress the kids make as the year goes along. She shared the story of one particular student.
But, Murphy said, building a relationship with that student took time.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of America Midwest Youth of the Year Regional competition will be held in Chicago June 25, 2026. According to their website, the Midwest Region for the Youth of the Year contest typically includes youth leaders from Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
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