Clukey enters fourth year as spokesperson for the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association
Olympian Julia Clukey has accomplished a career milestone, but it isn’t on the luge track. On May 15, Clukey reached her goal to speak to more than 10,000 high school students across Maine about the importance of setting goals, overcoming challenges and making good decisions.
The outreach to high school students is part of her four-year partnership with the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association (MBWDA) as the spokesperson for their responsibility campaign. The presentation at Westbook High School was made possible by the MBWDA as part of their ongoing responsibility initiative. Bryanna Phillips, a junior at Westbrook High School, was recognized as the 10,000th student.
From left to right: Cheryl Timberlake, executive vice president of the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association; Olympian Julia Clukey, Bryanna Phillips, junior, Westbrook High School; Howard Jack, assistant principal, Westbrook High School. Credit: Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association
To date, as a spokesperson for the MBWDA, Julia Clukey has reached more than 10,000 high school students. Since 2010, she has traveled more than 3,000 miles and has shared her high school presentation at 33 high schools across the state including Gardiner, Sanford, Cony, Winthrop, South Portland, Biddeford, St. Dom’s, Waynflete, Maranacook, Caribou, Van Buren and many others.
“I am extremely proud of this accomplishment and grateful for the support from the Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association to make this possible. I loved growing up in Maine and appreciate all the support I have received during my career. Now is my chance to give back to the community. The opportunity to reach out to young people and inspire them to make good decisions and set goals for themselves is something I am very passionate about. Every student in Maine deserves to dream big,” said Clukey.
The presentation at Westbrook High School reached a near capacity crowd of close to 700 students. Bryanna Phillips, a junior from Westbrook High School, was announced at the end of the presentation as the 10,000th student and was recognized by Clukey with a cake, USA Luge T-shirt and a complimentary ticket to try luge from the tourist start gate in Park City, Utah, or Lake Placid, N.Y.
This spring, Clukey has shared her presentation at several schools across the state and will continue her outreach through high school graduation season. Clukey plans to continue her work with the MBWDA and will reach 11,000 students later this spring. She will speak at Mt. Ararat on Monday, May 19 at 1 p.m., and later this year she also plans to visit Arthur R. Gould High School and Windham High School.
The high school presentations made possible by the MBWDA are available on a first-come, first-served basis at no cost to the school as part of their ongoing responsibility initiative. To schedule a presentation, schools can complete a presentation request form located on Julia Clukey’s website at www.clukeyluge.com/responsibility.
In addition to reaching more than 10,000 high school students at high schools across the state, Julia Clukey has also recorded several public service announcements on television and radio about the importance of making good decisions when it comes to alcohol. She has also been interviewed by local and national media for her work with the MBWDA and their responsibility initiative.
Next month, Clukey, along with the Kennebec Valley YMCA and the MBWDA will host the third year of Julia Clukey’s Camp for Girls in Readfield, Maine. The 10-day summer camp will take place June 17-27 on Maranacook Lake. The camp is designed for girls entering 4th through 8th grade as a place to develop self-confidence and a healthy lifestyle. Since 2012, as part of the MBWDA responsibility initiative, the association has donated more than $10,000 to the camp for improvements and local scholarships for underprivileged girls to attend the summer camp.
About the MBWDA
The Maine Beer & Wine Distributors Association (MBWDA), founded in 1933, is a nonprofit trade association that advocates on behalf of Maine-based, family-owned businesses licensed to distribute beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages to Maine retailers, restaurants and bars that are licensed to sell these products to consumers. MBWDA members operate under a state-based regulatory system that ensures products are consumed legally and responsibly. The association and their spokesperson Olympian Julia Clukey also support numerous alcohol awareness initiatives to help Maine residents make responsible choices about alcohol. For more information visit, www.mainebeerandwine.com.
