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Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County has announced the launch of Club Blue, an initiative that will unite local young professionals through volunteerism, advocacy and mentorship. This young professionals group will help the organization advance its mission to provide thousands of youth across Sarasota and DeSoto Counties with greater opportunities to excel in school, become leaders, adopt healthy habits and create plans for success after high school graduation. “Club Blue is a great way for our community’s young professionals to inspire the next generation of leaders,” said Bill Sadlo, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. “While this initiative will ultimately help our organization better serve our Club members, it will also be a wonderful way for young professionals to connect, give back and make a meaningful, lasting impact in our area.” The founding members of Club Blue are five young professionals in Sarasota County from diverse career backgrounds including Kaitlyn Perez, Jon Pierce, Britney Guertin, Jeremy Shelby and Samantha Gholar. Kaitlyn Perez is the Community Affairs Director and chief spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and Chair of Club Blue. Prior to launching a career in law enforcement in 2014, Kaitlyn worked for Sarasota County Government where she coordinated large public events, launched social media campaigns and facilitated community and youth programming. Kaitlyn has a passion for public service and an innate determination to leave her community better than she found it. Kaitlyn is a current member of both the Florida Law Enforcement Public Information Officers Association and National Information Officers Association. Jon Pierce is Principal at fourteenPR, a full-service digital marketing agency. Jon has an extensive background in marketing, strategic communications and creative design, assisting a number of non-profit and for-profit organizations convey their messages to the public, increasing brand awareness. His diverse skill set is an integral part of building client brands, providing marketing strategy, media relations, content creation, website design, social media management and communication services. Britney Guertin is a Boys & Girls Clubs alumna and the Communications & Content Manager with Visit Sarasota County (VSC). Britney manages all domestic and international public relations initiatives for VSC including press releases, visitor information, partner and stakeholder communications and event and campaign promotions. Prior to VSC, Britney worked as the PR & Social Media Director with Grapevine Communications. Britney is the Chair of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance’s Young Leaders Alliance, the Vice President of Designing Daughters of Sarasota and a member of the local Public Relations association. In 2018, the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance awarded Britney The Sandie for Young Professional of the Year. Jeremy Shelby began his career as a professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles. After being released, he worked diligently for Boys & Girls Clubs of America in both Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Jeremy joined Mariash Lowther Wealth Management in June 2017, and strives to continue his efforts to help educate, connect and contribute. Jeremy focuses on developing authentic and meaningful relationships in his business development role. He takes a comprehensive approach that begins with listening to a client's needs and helps to ensure every strategy is grounded in understanding what each client wants to achieve. Samantha Gholar is a communications and marketing professional with a decade of experience in print media and digital marketing. She is an award-winning news journalist, small business owner and mother among many other things. In January 2017, Samantha founded Emerge Sarasota, a 501c3 non-profit organization, whose mission is to identify and connect local minority young professionals and provide a platform for their skills and talents. “Club Blue is an opportunity for passionate young professionals to empower thousands of our community’s youth to achieve their full potential,” said Perez. “Together, we can ensure great futures continue to start at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County.” More information about this initiative will be available on bgcsarasota.com in the coming weeks. To learn more about Club Blue, call 941-366-3911. ABOUT THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF SARASOTA COUNTY: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County has been a leading youth-serving organization in Sarasota County and its surrounding area since 1970, and provides enriching after-school and summer programs to thousands of youth, ages 6 to 18, in Sarasota, Venice, North Port and Arcadia. The organization’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need services the most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. The programs are designed to empower youth to excel in school, become leaders, adopt healthy habits and create plans for success after high school graduation. For more information, visit bgcsarasota.com or call 941-366-3911.