NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shreyas Kar, 16, of Louisville and Brenna
Mefford, 13, of Carrollton
today were named Kentucky'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, Shreyas and Brenna 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 Kentucky's top youth
volunteers of 2021:
High School State Honoree: Shreyas Kar
Nominated by duPont Manual High
School
Shreyas, a junior at duPont Manual High
School, has developed software applications designed to
benefit charitable organizations, reduce school violence and
conserve water, and has used his experience to create a nonprofit
organization that helps students around the world take on similar
community-minded technology projects. As an active volunteer in his
community, Shreyas was inspired to see the philanthropic response
to the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana in 2017. But he saw firsthand how
"oftentimes the donations given by benevolent donors didn't match
the actual needs of those affected by the hurricane," he said. To
address this problem, Shreyas developed a platform that connects
donors and charitable organizations with people affected by
disasters, so that the most-needed kinds of aid can be delivered to
the right people at the right time.
The response was so positive that Shreyas set out to create
artificial intelligence (AI) software with the goal of solving
other societal problems. One employs facial recognition technology
to help identify missing children and reunite them with their
families. Another anticipates potential violence at schools and
then notifies teachers and security personnel. His intelligent
water conservation system can alert homeowners and utilities to
potential leaks or misuse. Realizing that other students could
benefit from his experience, Shreyas set up a 501(c)3 organization,
built a website and designed a course to help high school and
middle level students develop AI projects to serve their own
communities. His organization currently has hundreds of members in
16 states and four other countries.
Middle Level State Honoree: Brenna Mefford
Nominated by Carroll County
4-H
Brenna, an eighth-grader at Magnolia Homeschool Academy, has
sewn face masks for local businesses and her school district, baked
and sold homemade dog biscuits to benefit the local Humane Society,
supported a suicide-prevention fundraising event, and served her
community in numerous other ways. "I get tremendous satisfaction
out of volunteer service," said Brenna. "There is no greater honor,
in my opinion, than to help someone in need."
When her brother told her that employees at his grocery store
needed masks to protect them from COVID-19, Brenna began sewing
masks for them. Then she made masks for bank employees and her
school district, and sold some to support a state COVID-19
financial relief fund. While she was selling her homemade dog
biscuits at a farmer's market to raise money for the Oldham County
Humane Society, a customer who had lost her daughter to suicide
suggested that Brenna sponsor a dog costume contest in conjunction
with a suicide-prevention fundraising walk. Brenna donated dog
biscuits, dog collar accessories and specially-designed face masks
as contest prizes. The eighth-grader also has volunteered at a
local library and food pantry, designed "Be Kind" signs for yards
across her county, and made "sun catchers" for the windows of an
assisted-living facility.
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.