YMCA TEEN LEADER ERIC CARLO WINS 2021 BUDDY CUP

YMCA of Greater Nashua Teen Receives Prestigious Cup at YMCA Northeast Leaders’ School

Congratulations to YMCA Teen Leader Eric Carlo of Nashua who was awarded the prestigious Buddy Cup at the Northeast YMCA Leaders’ School, held at Springfield College, July 18 – 23. This annual teen leadership event, in its 47^th year, convenes YMCA Leaders’ Club teens from New England and New York.

The Buddy Cup award is the highest honor a teen leader can receive at Leaders’ School, Eric’s active participation in the school as well as his outstanding character that made him stand out. This is only the fourth time the Buddy Cup has been granted to a recipient from New Hampshire since the trophy’s inception in 1961, and the third time in a row it was presented to a member of the YMCA of Greater Nashua. Eric will be heading to Ithaca College in New York next month to study Photography and Visual Arts. He graduated this year from Nashua South High School. He just completed his fourth year at Leaders’ School.

“Ever since I joined Leaders’ Club six years ago, I liked the atmosphere of the Club, the friendships. Having people that you can talk to and navigate difficult times in life with is good. It’s like having a safety net of people who you can rely on and talk to. I’ve made strong connections over the years and it changed my life,” he shared. “Leaders’ Club is a very welcoming environment. I didn’t know anyone when I started the program. At my first meeting at the Nashua Y, one Leader came up to me and just asked me how my day was. Besides my friends in school, I never had people come up to me like that.”

As part of community service through Leaders’ Club, Eric has participated in the rebuilding of homes in New Orleans during three 5-day trips to that region. Although Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August of 2005, efforts are still needed to restore areas people once called home. Leaders’ Club students worked 8-hour days doing carpentry, painting, and other efforts to get people back into their homes. Y Leaders’ Club volunteers teamed up with the St. Bernard Project, a group spearheading Hurricane Katrina relief work since the devastation of the hurricane. “Having team building time helps me realize how lucky I am. Giving back is one of my favorite parts of Leaders Club and I appreciate the opportunities to do that,” Eric said.

About the YMCA Northeast Leaders’ School Buddy Cup:

In 1961, the Silver Bay YMCA Leaders’ School sponsored a Leaders’ Exchange program. Two young German leaders came to Silver Bay in New York; and as a result of their experience at Leaders School, these two young leaders sponsored a cup known as the Buddy Cup. They sent this cup to the 1962 Leaders’ School, to be given in recognition of the outstanding leader in each Leaders’ School. This is a rotating cup, to be awarded each year. The Buddy Cup was awarded to Michael Costa in 2017, Zachory (Zak) Almeida in 2019, Asher Thomas in 2020, and now Eric Carlo, all representing the YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Leader Club.