Pebbles Sambolanay from the Vogelweh Teen Center was named the 2025 Keystone Advisor of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) at the annual Keystone conference held in Chicago this year. (Provided by Vogelweh Teen Center staff)
In July, Pebbles Sambolanay was named the 2025 Keystone Advisor of the Year by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA).
Sambolanay works as the Teen Director at the Vogelweh Teen Center in Germany. She plans programs and activities, collaborating with organizations like BGCA and working closely with the youth of the Keystone Club who facilitate events.
“Vogelweh Teen Center is all about a safe place. It is a second home for our teens”
— Pebbles Sambolanay
Keystone Club is a community leadership and service club hosted by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). Youth and teen centers on military installations around the world are affiliated with BGCA, and Keystone is one of the many clubs and programs available to club members.
The 2025 National Keystone Conference was held in Chicago, with over 1,500 youth and advisors in attendance. This yearly event celebrates the culmination of club activities, which follow a school-year calendar. Thousands of Keystone clubs from across the U.S. and from military installations internationally were invited to attend the conference. Youth participate in sessions focused on leadership, community involvement, career preparedness and more. In addition, awards are given for stand-out clubs and individuals.
The Vogelweh Keystone Club also earned honors at the conference.
Sambolanay was surprised to be awarded the club’s highest advisor honor with the 2025 Keystone Advisor of the Year Award. She discovered afterward that her leadership was aware and kept the award secret. Until her name appeared on screen at the conference as one of the nominees, she did not know she was in the running. Hearing her name called as winner was “a surreal moment.”
The 2025 National Keystone Conference was held in Chicago, with over 1,500 youth and advisors in attendance. (Provided by Vogelweh Teen Center staff)
“I feel honored, and not just that… I really do feel humbled. There are a lot of advisors over there that work hard… Maybe they saw something in me, and I’m super thankful for that. [It] wouldn’t be possible without our community and our teens, our amazing teens!”
When military youth and teen centers re-opened following the coronavirus pandemic, the program at Vogelweh needed rebuilt almost from scratch. Sambolanay considered it a 2.0 reboot, with new programs, new opportunities in the digital world and a renewed focus on the mental health of military-affiliated teens.
“I wanted to create an environment for the teens where they can feel that they can belong. It’s not just with their peers but also the whole community.”
Visit the youth or teen center at your installation for details on what they offer including BGCA programs like Keystone Club.
