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L to R: YMSL Las Vegas Member Haydn Rodrigues; Haydn Rodrigues Volunteering.
(Photo Courtesy of Young Men’s Service League Las Vegas)
LOCAL LAS VEGAS STUDENT NAMED YOUNG MEN’S SERVICE LEAGUE’S “YOUNG MAN OF THE YEAR”
National Award Recognizes One Young Man with Outstanding Leadership, Commitment to Service
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LAS VEGAS (August 2026) – The Las Vegas chapter of the Young Men’s Service League (YMSL) announces its member Haydn Rodrigues, a rising senior at West Career & Technical Academy in Las Vegas, has been named the national “Young Man of the Year.” This inaugural award celebrating the 25th anniversary of YMSL national recognizes one member in the United States with outstanding leadership, integrity, humility and commitment to service. As a national non-profit organization, YMSL brings together moms and their teenage sons in grades 9 – 12 who volunteer together to serve their local communities and develop leadership skills.
Among Rodrigues’ stand-out achievements is founding a diabetes and obesity awareness initiative focused on helping people live healthier lives. Through educational podcasts, research collaborations and healthy cooking seminars, the initiative has reached more than one million people over the last three years.
He is also a proud volunteer for Miracle League of Las Vegas, which provides opportunities for children and adults with cognitive and/or physical challenges to play baseball. After a young Miracle League participant asked Rodrigues to volunteer again, he realized the impact of consistent service and became a season supervisor.
Outside of YMSL, Rodrigues has volunteered more than 950 hours at Sunrise Children’s Hospital, where he mentors volunteers, supports patients and families and helps create opportunities for students interested in healthcare careers.
As part of membership for YMSL, each young man and his mom must complete 20 service hours throughout each year of membership; the Las Vegas YMSL chapter has 24 ongoing charitable partners, including Catholic Charities, Children’s Discovery Museum, F.E.A.T. of Southern Nevada, Just One Project, Miracle League, Ronald McDonald House and Spread the Word, just to name a few.
In addition to serving volunteer hours around the community, YMSL also hosts monthly meetings, which bring grade-level young men together to develop leadership skills and learn from expert speakers. Each young man serves a role within the organization, and together, they run the meetings and take turns presenting the group topics related to life skills and leadership. YMSL moms also attend monthly meetings, and every mom serves on a committee as well.
“When I first joined YMSL, I never imagined it would shape so much of who I am today,” said Rodrigues. “It taught me that showing up consistently for others doesn’t just change their lives; it changes yours, too. I’m grateful to represent a program that inspired me to lead with compassion and keep finding ways to make a difference.”
“Haydn represents exactly what’s possible when young men are given opportunities to lead, serve and discover what they’re capable of,” said Suzette Miranda, president, YMSL Las Vegas. “Watching him grow from a freshman into someone whose efforts are being recognized at a national level has been inspirational. We hope his story motivates more families to view service as something that can positively shape the direction of your life and the lives of others.”
For more information on YMSL Las Vegas, visit www.ymsllasvegas.org.
ABOUT YOUNG MEN’S SERVICE LEAGUE
The Young Men’s Service League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit national organization. Members of YMSL are moms and their teenage sons who volunteer together to serve their local communities during his four years of high school. YMSL represents over 12,900 moms and 14,600 young men as part of over 170 plus chapters across 22 states. YMSL offers moms service opportunities and time together with her son(s) to grow their relationship and to instill in him a heart of service to last a lifetime. In addition to service, as part of its four-year comprehensive program, YMSL teaches leadership and life skills to develop our young men to become the capable, confident and compassionate leaders of tomorrow.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Erika Pope
YMSL Las Vegas Communications Committee/The Vox Agency
erika@thevoxagency.com
(702) 249-2977
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