Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County is honoring a Cambridge City native who has become nationally known as a broadcast journalist and live event host.
The clubs’ honoree for its 26th annual Smart Futures Dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 30, is Lauren Bohlander Kanaan, perhaps best known professionally for reporting on open-wheel racing and hosting shows including “Garage Squad.”
While reporting trackside for IndyCar, such as interviewing drivers, pursuing feature stories and hosting the prerace show, she also hosted the daily studio show “Up to Speed.”
This year was Kanaan’s third season emceeing and educating team partners at the Arrow McLaren Team Center during IndyCar race weekends.
However, she’s covered a variety of sports, ranging from motocross to professional sports fishing and men’s and women’s basketball.
Kanaan, now an Indianapolis resident, also stays busy with four children, Leo, Deco, Max and Nina, and traveling to racetracks with her husband, former race car driver Tony Kanaan. She enjoys service work and volunteerism as the couple champions causes like public education and the IndyCar Benevolent Foundation.
Tony is the dinner’s featured guest. After 25 season of IndyCar racing — which included 17 career wins, such as the 2013 Indianapolis 500 — he became team principal for Arrow McLaren’s NTT IndyCar Series team in 2024. He was the IndyCar Champion in 2004.
To attend the dinner, ticket purchases are requested by Tuesday, Sept. 23, through smartfutures2025.eventbrite.com. Seats are $75 plus online processing fees. VIP Meet & Greet add-ons are available to spend time with the Kanaans before the meal.
A social hour begins at 6 p.m. before the 7 p.m. meal. Organizers encourage wearing “smart casual” clothing, such as khakis or slacks.
The dinner celebrates the links between Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County, the community and exceptional individuals.
Lauren’s interest in sports began at a young age. The 2000 Lincoln High School graduate was a three-sport athlete on the girls varsity basketball, volleyball and track and field teams.
During her senior year, she won all-conference honors in volleyball and basketball and academic all-conference honors for volleyball.
She also participated in several LHS and community activities. The National Honor Society member served as her class treasurer and was active with Key Club, SADD, Lincoln Teens, Spanish Club and yearbook, plus a junior deaconess and worship leader at Milton Christian Church.
Western Wayne students are now served by the Boys & Girls Clubs, which has expanded across the county to offer the Wayne Bank Unit in Pershing and the Hagerstown unit.
The organization serves nearly 2,000 youth at six locations: the Jeffers, McDaniel, First Bank, Wayne Bank, and Hagerstown units; The CLUB Teen Center; and Camp Guy on Whitewater River.
A version of this article appeared in the September 17 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.