NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jace Johnson,
18, of Kamiah and Christopher Jones, 12, of Boise today were named Idaho's top youth volunteers of 2021 by The
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America's largest youth
recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service.
As State Honorees, Jace and Christopher will each receive a
$2,500 scholarship, a silver
medallion and an invitation to the program's virtual national
recognition celebration in April, where 10 of the 102 State
Honorees will be named America's top youth volunteers of the year.
Those 10 National Honorees will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship, a gold medallion, a crystal
trophy for their nominating organization and a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit charitable
organization of their choice.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by
Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association
of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades
5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities
through volunteer service.
"We created the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 26 years
ago to highlight and support the work of young people taking on the
challenges of a changing world – a mission that rings truer than
ever given the events of last year," said Charles Lowrey, Prudential's chairman and
CEO. "We are proud to celebrate the vision and determination of
Spirit of Community's Class of 2021, and all the ways they're
making their communities safer, healthier and more equitable places
to live."
These are Idaho's top youth
volunteers of 2021:
High School State Honoree: Jace Johnson
Nominated by Kamiah
High School
Jace, a senior at Kamiah High School, played a leadership role
in opening a teen center in his small rural community to provide
local youth with a safe, fun alternative to substance abuse. Jace
said his volunteering "sprouted from watching my community slowly
deteriorate into a town riddled with drugs, crimes, and everything
in between." As president and a founding member of the town's youth
advisory board, Jace knew that with only a four-day school week and
few extracurricular activities, it was too easy for young people to
slip into drug and alcohol abuse. "I realized that not only did
teens need activities to partake in, they needed a safe place to
go," he said.
So in 2017, he and fellow advisory board members decided to
start raising money to open a teen center, primarily by hosting
lunches and applying for grants. It took about a year to collect
enough funds to rent space, furnish it, pay for utilities and buy
supplies. Then community members donated a pool table, televisions,
furniture, games and other items. Since opening in September 2019, the center has recorded thousands
of teen visits and has hosted almost 500 youth events, including
concerts, game nights, movies, theme park trips and tournaments. It
also has provided classes in a wide range of activities from
cooking to budgeting to sewing, subjects not offered in the area's
school. Moreover, younger kids are able to spend time at the center
on summer mornings to attend arts and crafts classes. Most
importantly, data compiled by local law enforcement has shown a
marked decrease in drug, alcohol and tobacco use among teenagers,
said Jace.
Middle Level State Honoree: Christopher
"Topher" Jones
Nominated by Hillside Junior
High
Topher, a seventh-grader at Hillside Junior High School, has
raised more than $15,000 through his
"Lonesome Larry Project," a conservation initiative dedicated to
saving sockeye salmon by selling sockeye-themed socks. When he was
in fifth grade, Topher learned a lot about fish from his science
teacher, and was fascinated by the fact that steelhead and salmon
swim almost 900 miles from their home streams in Idaho to the ocean and then back to spawn. On
a family trip to a fish hatchery, he discovered just how hard it is
for fish to make that journey. In fact, he learned that one year,
only one sockeye salmon survived the ordeal. The hatchery nicknamed
that fish Lonesome Larry. "I knew this was a big problem," said
Topher, "because if the sockeye don't return to their home streams
to lay their eggs, the next generation of fish is lost."
So in 2019, he founded the "Lonesome Larry Project" to support
sockeye salmon conservation – by selling red and blue socks
emblazoned with the image of a male sockeye. First, Topher held a
competition to design his salmon logo, and then enlisted the help
of college students build a website. After his initial order of
2,000 pairs of socks arrived on his doorstep, Topher began selling
them on his website, at sporting and fishing events, and through
local businesses. All of his proceeds are being donated to the
Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund grants for conservation
and research. The first grant was awarded last summer to build a
kiosk near Redfish Lake explaining sockeye salmon recovery
efforts.
State Honorees in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
Class of 2021 – the top middle level and high school volunteer from
all 50 states and the District of
Columbia – were selected for service initiatives completed,
at least in part, between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020.
Selection was based on criteria including impact, effort,
initiative and the personal growth demonstrated over the course of
the project. Several Distinguished Finalists and runners-up were
also selected in each state, and all qualifying applicants received
President's Volunteer Service Awards.
"It speaks volumes about the character of today's secondary
school students that the Spirit of Community program heard from
more than 21,000 applicants this fall – most of them stories of
young volunteers overcoming the hardships of a global pandemic to
support those in need," said Ronn
Nozoe, Chief Executive Officer, NASSP. "While we're
especially proud to celebrate this year's 102 State Honorees, NASSP
applauds every student who's found a way to volunteer this past
year. You inspire your peers and adults alike to remember that,
even in times of crisis, we all have something to give."
To read the names and stories of all of this year's State
Honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.
About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness
leader and premier active global investment manager, has operations
in the United States, Asia, Europe
and Latin America. Prudential's
diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by
creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic
Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and
innovation for more than a century. For more information, please
visit news.prudential.com.
About NASSP
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
is the leading organization of and voice for principals and other
school leaders across the United
States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school
leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student's
potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the
success of each student. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to
student leadership development, NASSP administers the National
Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National
Elementary Honor Society, and National Student Council. Learn
more at http://nassp.org.
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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.