Long Island kids will appear on 2026 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards | CBS New York
Saturday night is the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, hosted by Alex Warren. CBS News New York's Dave Carlin reports on some very excited members of a Boys and Girls Club on Long Island, who will make an appearance on the show.
Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club’s Torch Club participants to appear on Nickelodeon 'Kids' Choice Awards'
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| Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club members built a Whack-a-Mole game for seniors at Sunrise of Glen Cove, and the kids playfully served as the moles. | Courtesy Nickelodeon Our World |
The Grenville Baker Boys & Girls Club’s Torch Club is getting a national spotlight for its efforts to bring generations together, with the Oyster Bay organization’s young volunteers set to be featured in Nickelodeon’s “Kids’ Choice Awards” on Saturday.
The club’s middle school leadership and community service group was selected by Nickelodeon Our World to showcase its visits to local senior-living facilities, where students organize activities, spend time with residents and build connections across generations.
A video highlighting the students’ work is expected to air during the awards ceremony, which will be broadcast on CBS and Nickelodeon. The segment will also be shared on Nickelodeon’s social media platforms.
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| The Torch Club is a nationally chartered leadership and service program for students in grades six through eight, generally ages 11 to 13. | Courtesy Nickelodeon Our World |
For the students, the chance to appear on one of television’s most recognizable children’s award shows has generated considerable excitement, Stephanie Canales, teen director at Grenville Baker, said.
“Once I told the kids — even myself — I was shocked that we got this opportunity,” Canales said. “The kids were just excited. I mean, they hear Nickelodeon, the first thing they think is like slime and SpongeBob and all the other cartoons that they love to watch every single day.”
Canales said she submitted information about the Torch Club’s community service activities to Nickelodeon Our World, an initiative created by the company to empower children, which has a connection with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Nickelodeon was particularly interested in the group’s work with local seniors according Canales added, leading to the collaboration.
The students meet every Thursday afternoon, and hold their own board meetings to discuss upcoming projects, fundraisers and community service activities. Members determine what initiatives they want to pursue, and organize projects throughout the school year.
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| Among the activities that Torch Club members participated in with seniors was painting pumpkins and making holiday crafts. | Courtesy Nickelodeon Our World |
For the Nickelodeon collaboration, the students raised money to finance activities with residents at the Sunrise of Glen Cove senior living facility, where the club visits during the year to make intergenerational connections, and developed a fall-themed gathering that took place in October. The activities included making pumpkins, creating picture frames and posing for photos together. Students and seniors also played a version of Whack-a-Mole, with the children serving as the targets while residents used inflatable toys to playfully hit them.
Canales said the visits have become a favorite activity for both the students and the seniors, and have demonstrated how people of different generations can connect through relatively simple activities, even when they might initially seem to have little in common.
Jean Margaret Smith, Nickelodeon’s senior vice president of public affairs and administration, wrote in a statement that the awards are an opportunity to recognize young people making a difference in their communities.
“At Nickelodeon, we believe every kid has the power to create meaningful change,” Smith wrote. “The 2026 Kids’ Choice Awards celebrates the creativity, leadership, and community spirit of young people everywhere. Through Nickelodeon Our World and partners like Boys & Girls Clubs of America, we are proud to help give kids the platform, tools, and confidence to bring their ideas to life.”
The Torch Club is a nationally chartered leadership and service program for students in grades six through eight, generally ages 11 to 13. Members elect officers and select projects focused on community service, education, health and fitness, and social recreation.
At Grenville Baker, the group’s activities extend beyond its visits with seniors. Students have taken part in environmental projects, local cleanups, animal shelter initiatives and community fundraisers, including efforts supporting suicide prevention and service dogs. They also help younger club members with homework and lend a hand at community events.
Canales said she hoped the national exposure would encourage more young people to participate, emphasizing that the Torch Club is about more than accumulating community service hours for school requirements.
“Torch Club is a club where it doesn’t feel like, ‘Oh, I’m going to Torch Club, my mom forced me,’” she said. “They want to, they are begging” to go, she said.
The club also provides a pathway for students to continue their community involvement as they get older, with members encouraged to advance into Grenville Baker’s Keystone group during high school and continue volunteering after graduation.
Following Saturday’s broadcast, Canales said the club plans to hold a watch party on Monday so members can gather and see their work featured on television. For her, the recognition is a chance not only to celebrate the students but also to demonstrate how young people can make a meaningful difference in their communities.
“Sometimes all we need is just company and compassion and just a bit of laughter,” Canales said, “and that’s what the kids love doing here.”
For more on Grenville Baker and the Torch Club, visit GBBGC.org.
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