The King County Council Monday recognized members of the Renton/Skyway Boys and Girls Club, whose program, Renway, recently was recognized nationally.

In May the Renton/Skyway Boys & Girls Club’s Renway MicroSociety won “Best Overall Program” out of roughly 4,000 applicants in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America network. They are the first club in King County to receive such an honor in a national competition in 40 years.

“I am thrilled to see this group of young men and women taking charge of their future by learning and discovering how to be contributing members of a society,” said council member Julia Patterson of SeaTac, who represents part of Renton on the council.

“In each of these individuals I see our future employees, entrepreneurs, public figures and, most importantly, our role models for embracing leadership, positive change and teamwork as a community,” she said.

The Renway MicroSociety is a research proven, innovative program where kids create a microcosm of the real world in an after-school setting. The Renway MicroSociety program was championed by former Renton/Skyway Boys & Girls Club director Meg Pitman, and is now led by current club director, Dorina Calderon-McHenry.

Renton community leaders, including Bill Taylor, president and CEO of the Renton Chamber of Commerce, were instrumental in helping to start the program at the Skyway club.