Top Youth Volunteers in Each State Selected in 17 Annual
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Harold Banks, Prudential Financial, (973) 802-8974 February 7, 2012 or (973) 216-4833, or [email protected] TOP YOUTH VOLUNTEERS IN EACH STATE SELECTED IN 17th ANNUAL NATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM 102 student volunteers earn $1,000 awards, silver medallions and trip to nation’s capital WASHINGTON, D.C. – America’s 102 most outstanding youth volunteers – two from each state and the District of Columbia – were named State Honorees today by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for exemplary acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 17th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial, Inc. in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Each of the 102 State Honorees will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., May 5-8 for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2012 at that time. In addition to the State Honorees, the program’s judges recognized 234 students nationwide as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion. More than 500 other applicants were awarded Certificates of Excellence for their volunteer work. (See attached list of State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists.) A large number of State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists this year – 20 percent – conducted volunteer activities to address needs overseas, especially in Africa, Latin America and Japan. Honorees traveled to volunteer in orphanages, build homes, and teach impoverished children. In their own communities, they collected food, medical supplies, clothing, books, school supplies, eyeglasses, teddy bears and soccer cleats to send overseas. And they raised money to finance school tuitions, refugee relief, AIDS medications, clean-water projects and other critical needs in desperate communities around the world. - more - TOP YOUTH VOLUNTEERS SELECTED IN NATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM /Page Two There was a great deal of energy devoted to needs in the U.S., as well. Many honorees were recognized for assisting Americans who are sick or disabled, aiding the disadvantaged, tutoring or mentoring other young people and promoting health and safety. Others were cited for enhancing school or community resources, protecting the environment, taking care of animals and supporting U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Information on the volunteer activities of all of the honorees can be found at http://spirit.prudential.com. “Through their selfless acts of service, these award recipients have greatly improved the lives of others,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. “We hope their stories and their dedication inspire other young people to do the same.” "We are so pleased to celebrate these student volunteers,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “It’s important to highlight them as powerful examples of how young people can make a difference." About The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. All public and private middle level and high schools in the country, as well as all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award. More than 5,000 Local Honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth. While in Washington, D.C., the 102 State Honorees – one middle level and one high school student from each state and the District of Columbia – will tour the capital’s landmarks, attend a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. In addition, 10 of them – five middle level and five high school students – will be named National Honorees on May 7. These honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice. Since the program began in 1995, more than 100,000 young volunteers nationwide have been honored by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards at the local, state or national level. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland and India. In addition to granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program also distributes President’s Volunteer Service Awards to qualifying Local Honorees on behalf of President Barack Obama. For information on all of this year’s Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visit http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit. - more - TOP YOUTH VOLUNTEERS SELECTED IN NATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM /Page Three About NASSP NASSP is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The association provides research-based professional development and resources, networking and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development as well, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society and National Association of Student Councils. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit www.nassp.org. About Prudential Financial Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management, and real estate services. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit http://www.news.prudential.com/. # # # Editors: Graphics depicting the award program’s logo and medallions may be downloaded from spirit.prudential.com. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 2012 State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists Alabama California State Honorees: State Honorees: Daniel Morriss, 18, Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills Catherine Mitchell, 16, Guajome Park Academy, Vista Abigail Knight, 14, Hewitt-Trussville Middle School, Cecilia Cassini, 12, Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth Trussville Distinguished Finalists: Distinguished Finalists: Athman Adiseshan, 14, Ramana Academy, San Jose Sarah Bender, 17, The Altamont School, Birmingham Allyson Ahlstrom, 16, Cardinal Newman High School, Olga Manouvakhova, 17, Hoover High School, Hoover Santa Rosa Rachel Robertson, 18, McGill-Toolen Catholic High Holly Borg, 17, Santa Cruz High School, Santa Cruz School, Mobile Zach Greer, 18, Bellarmine College Preparatory, San Jose Savannah Slater, 18, Moody High School, Moody Vighnesh Iyer, 16, Whitney High School, Cerritos Joseph Machado, 15, Los Osos High School, Rancho Cucamonga Alaska Raghav Sehtia, 16, Harker School, San Jose State Honorees: Xiaoyi Shao, 17, Maria Carrillo High School, Santa Rosa Teressa Baldwin, 18, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka Sean Traynor, 16, Carlmont High School, Castro Valley Keefer Brown, 13, Teeland Middle School, Wasilla Jacky Yao, 17, Damien High School, La Verne Distinguished Finalists: Colorado Regan Fitzgerald, 18, West Anchorage High School, State Honorees: Anchorage Suzanne Luff, 18, Colorado Springs Christian High School, Courtney Stroh, 15, Kenai Central High School, Kenai Colorado Springs Christina Bear, 14, Metro Volunteers, Denver Arizona State Honorees: Distinguished Finalists: Preslee Swern, 18, Paradise Honors High School, Surprise Eric Bear, 12, Metro Volunteers, Denver Alyssa Moran, 14, Sundance Elementary School, Peoria Matthew Davis, 18, Castle View High School, Castle Rock Angela Natrasevschi, 17, Girl Scouts Of Colorado, Denver Distinguished Finalists: Jonathan Schwan, 15, Cheyenne Mountain High School, Michaela Chinn, 17, St. Gregory College Preparatory School, Colorado Springs Tucson Vidur Gupta, 18, Desert Mountain High School, Scottsdale Connecticut Rebia Khan, 18, Xavier College Preparatory, Phoenix State Honorees: Mac Kenzie Lyons, 16, Cactus Shadows High School, Sanam Rastegar, 17, Hopkins School, New Haven Cave Creek Patrick Briscoe, 13, St. Rose Of Lima School, Newtown Caroline Rodi, 16, Cactus Shadows High School, Cave Creek Taylor Wetnight, 17, Sunrise Mountain High School, Peoria Distinguished Finalists: Alison Centorino, 18, Cheshire High School, Cheshire Emily Dzialo, 17, Mercy High School, Middletown Arkansas Rebecca Lazarus, 17, Windsor High School, Windsor State Honorees: Katrina McGlynn, 14, Horace W. Porter School, Columbia Joseph McCollum, 15, Desha County 4-H, McGehee Alexandria Hunter, 14, Clark County 4-H, Arkadelphia Delaware State Honorees: Distinguished