NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Anika Attaluri, 17, of Chandler and Hadley Gray, 11, of Surprise today were named Arizona'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, Anika and Hadley 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 Arizona's top youth
volunteers of 2021:
High School State Honoree: Anika Attaluri
Nominated by Hamilton High School
Anika, a senior at Hamilton High School, played a leadership
role in a national grassroots initiative that registered more than
35,000 young people to vote in the 2020 election. Anika, a
first-generation American, is a passionate advocate for civic
engagement in young people and people of color. She also knew how
intimidating the voting process can be for first-time voters, and
that the COVID-19 pandemic was presenting challenges for the
registration and voting process. So when she was asked to play a
leadership role in a program promoting youth voter registration,
she was "ecstatic" to take on a leadership role.
Anika was tasked with building teams across the country to
maximize voter participation. She recruited student volunteers
through Instagram and phone calls, oversaw national and statewide
virtual meetings, and created social media content to spread
awareness about election issues and debunk voting myths. Next, she
collaborated with fellow volunteers to deliver virtual classroom
presentations in high schools and host weekly in-person
registration drives, with particular emphasis on areas with
traditionally low voter turnout. In addition, Anika and her teams
created voting guides, election reminders and safe voting tips, and
helped distribute personal protective equipment at polling sites on
election day.
Middle Level State Honoree: Hadley Gray
Nominated by Paradise Honors Elementary School
Hadley, a sixth-grader at Paradise Honors Elementary School,
asked for donations instead of gifts for her ninth birthday to
support local homeless and pet shelters, and two birthdays later,
collected more than 100 pieces of luggage for children in foster
care. Hadley began volunteering at age 5 by helping her mother
organize 5K races for kids with
cancer. She said she had so much fun that as she got older, she
wanted to start her own service projects.
Last year, Hadley learned that many children in foster care have
to use garbage bags to carry their personal belongings when they
move between homes. "This really affected me," she said. "The
thought of those poor kids carrying their prized possessions like
garbage was heartbreaking." She recalled how successful her ninth
birthday had been, and decided to conduct another donation drive
for her 11th birthday. Only this time she would collect luggage for
foster kids. To start, she distributed fliers, made a video for
social media, posted signs at her school, and persuaded a local
coffee shop to promote her effort and serve as a dropoff site.
Since some people donated money instead of luggage, Hadley
purchased additional duffel bags along with hygiene items, coloring
books, crayons and a "ton" of stuffed animals to accompany the 100+
pieces of luggage that she ended up delivering to the Maricopa
County Department of Child Safety.
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.