NAMPA -- Alysia Baxter, 14, lost her mother to a cocaine overdose almost nine years ago. But the Destiny Christian School freshman refuses to use her past as an excuse not to excel.
"I did not know at the time what the lesson of my mother dying would be," Baxter said, "but I am learning a lot of lessons now."
She credits the Nampa Boys and Girls Club for many of those learning experiences.
"They taught me my dreams were attainable," Baxter said, adding that the local club provides her an opportunity to help others.
Baxter said she first attended the club because her dad made her go. But now, she's a recognized leader at the local organization and is one of five state finalists for the Boys and Girls Club State Youth of the Year Competition slated for Thursday.
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