WASHINGTON, April 30, 2018
/PRNewswire/ -- North Dakota's top two youth volunteers of
2018, Ashlen Wright, 18, of
West Fargo and Macy Vasquez, 14, of Grand Forks, were honored in the nation's
capital last night for their outstanding volunteer service during
the 23rd annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community
Awards. Ashlen and Macy – along with 100 other top youth volunteers
from across the country – each received $1,000 awards and personal congratulations from
Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn at an award ceremony and gala
dinner reception held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of
Natural History.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, sponsored by
Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association
of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), named Ashlen and Macy North Dakota's top high school
and middle level youth volunteers in February. In addition to their
cash awards, they each received an engraved silver medallion and an
all-expense-paid trip with a parent to Washington, D.C., for four days of recognition
events.
Ashlen, a senior at Sheyenne High School, advocates for teen
mental health and suicide prevention by raising money and awareness
in her community and by working to connect at-risk teens to people
who can help them. When Ashlen was a sophomore, she made the
difficult decision to change schools. It was a tough transition,
she said, but her "saving grace" was a boy named Justin, a star
student, athlete and musician who took her under his wing and
became one of her closest friends. A few months later, two hours
after speaking with Ashlen, Justin took his own life. "At first I
was numb. The next wave that hit me was pure grief," said Ashlen.
"Grief not only that Justin was gone, but that I had done nothing
to stop it."
Three weeks after her friend's death, Ashlen joined the student
board of Imagine Thriving, a regional nonprofit that promotes
mental health education for young adults, provides support for
those struggling emotionally, and supports a full-time mental
wellness facilitator in every school district in the region to help
identify those at risk. Ashlen also serves as the student
representative to the adult board of directors, and helps with
long-term planning for the organization. After undergoing training,
she began fundraising for the organization and speaking to student
groups about the growing problem of depression and suicide for
young people. She also founded a mental health club at school, and
organized her school's participation in an "Out of Darkness Walk"
to raise money for suicide prevention. Since her friend's death,
Ashlen has spoken to hundreds of teens in schools, church groups
and youth organizations, and participated in events that have
raised more than $320,000 to help
promote mental health and prevent suicide.
Macy, an eighth-grader at Valley Middle School, has volunteered
in numerous activities in both her school and city, from helping
out at a local daycare to cleaning up trash at local parks. Macy
was inspired to volunteer when she was in the sixth grade and saw
posters and heard intercom announcements about various volunteer
opportunities. "I became a volunteer because I enjoy helping people
and places that need help," she said. When she attended her first
volunteer meetings, "it was like a spark of something that told me
I should be doing this."
As a member of several school groups that emphasize service to
others, Macy has washed cars for Special Olympics, counted money at
concession stands, cleaned up trash along the Greenway, helped
build a mini-library for elementary students, mentored new students
at her school, and attended city council meetings with fellow
students to brainstorm ways to improve their town. She also
volunteered for a whole summer at a local daycare facility. "I love
to be involved," said Macy. "It is very rewarding to help
others."
"These honorees exemplify something we've known for a long time
– that young volunteers have the power to bring meaningful change
to their communities," said John
Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc.
"These students have shown leadership and determination well beyond
their years, and it's a privilege to celebrate their service."
"Through their acts of service, these honorees drive home a
powerful lesson for their peers: that one student really can make a
difference," said Daniel P. Kelley, president of NASSP. "We
are honored to shine a spotlight on the compassion, drive and
ingenuity of each of these young volunteers."
Youth volunteers in grades 5-12 were invited to apply for 2018
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards last fall through schools,
Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross
chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn
Network. More than 29,000 middle level and high school students
nationwide participated in this year's program.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program was created in
1995 to identify and recognize young people for outstanding
volunteer service – and, in so doing, inspire others to volunteer,
too. In the past 23 years, the program has honored more than
120,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national
level.
For more information about The Prudential Spirit of Community
Awards and this year's honorees, visit
http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.
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 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 and investment management. 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 www.news.prudential.com.
Editors: For pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards
program logo and medallions, visit
https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media.
For B-roll of North
Dakota's honorees at the 2018 national recognition events,
contact Prudential's Harold Banks at
(973) 216-4833 or
harold.banks@prudential.com.
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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.