Grand Forks Air Force Base Youth Center Wins Samsung "Climate Superstars" Environmental Awareness Challenge

Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Samsung partner for 4th annual contest; Samsung Awards a $10,000 Technology Makeover

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Dec 12, 2018, 15:00 ET

GRAND FORKS, N.D., Dec. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsung Electronics America, Inc. and Boys & Girls Clubs of America joined forces again for the 4^th annual Climate Superstars Challenge. This environmental contest is designed to ignite science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) interest among kids and teens while raising awareness about the importance of environmentalism and sustainability. The Boys & Girls Clubs of America affiliated Youth Center, located on the Grand Forks Air Force Base, won the national challenge to receive a $10,000 technology prize from Samsung.

After completing various sustainability activities from September 17 to November 4, the Grand Forks Air Force Base Youth Center was selected as the grand prize winner of this year's Samsung Climate Superstars Challenge. A celebration event was held at the local Youth Center to surprise the kids and teens with the announcement and reveal a $10,000 technology makeover as a reward for their efforts to raise awareness about climate change.

"As military youth, our kids and teens are taught to think globally. We're proud of the hard work and positive energy they poured into this sustainability challenge, which reflects that global perspective," said Correna E. Woods, Child & Youth Programs Flight Chief, Grand Forks Air Force Base Youth Center. "We are thankful that Samsung sees the potential that our kids hold for a better future. This opportunity provided real experiences around conservation and sustainability that empowered our youth to make a difference."

The Climate Superstars Challenge is the first challenge of its kind that aims to motivate young people to do their part by taking action to help protect the environment. As a part of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's strategy to ensure all members graduate from high school STEM ready, the Climate Superstars Challenge works to engage and educate youth ages 11 – 13 in various activities that demonstrate how their actions and an engineering mindset can enact positive change in their environment.

"Encouraging kids and teens to take action to help protect the environment is crucial for the future of our planet," said Ann Woo, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship for Samsung Electronics America. "The lessons they learn through the Samsung Climate Superstars Challenge will equip them with the knowledge to not only take direct action personally but will empower them as stewards of global sustainability to share what they've learned with peers, family and the communities where they live."

The contest required Boys & Girls Club members nationwide to complete tasks centered on core themes such as improving energy-efficiency, conserving water and reducing waste, including identifying energy efficient ENERGY STAR products, planting trees, recycling electronics and more. In addition to the contest activities, the Grand Forks Air Force Base youth visited their local recycling plant, enabled energy efficiency settings on their technology devices and met with the Air Force Base chef to discuss food waste. Results were captured via an online gaming platform specifically designed for the contest, and students were awarded with Samsung products for their outstanding efforts throughout the course of the contest.

More than 200 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country participated this year, marking the largest participation in the history of the contest. The winning Youth Center's $10,000 technology makeover includes:

Two (2) Samsung 55" UHD TVs
Ten (10) Samsung Chromebooks
Fifteen (15) Samsung Tablets with the Pen & Cover

For event images and footage from the Samsung Climate Superstars grand prize celebration, visit https://news.samsung.com/us/.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, 4,300 Clubs serve 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more on Facebook and Twitter.

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), is a recognized innovative leader in consumer electronics, mobile devices and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of today's technology and providing consumers and organizations with a portfolio of groundbreaking products in appliances, home entertainment, Internet of Things, mobile computing, smartphones, virtual reality, wireless infrastructure and wearables, in addition to offering leading content and services related to mobile payments, 360-degree VR video, customer support and more. Samsung is a pioneering leader in smartphones and HDTVs in the U.S. and one of America's fastest growing home appliance brands. To discover more about Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com. For the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us and follow us @SamsungNewsUS.

SOURCE Boys & Girls Clubs of America