WASHINGTON, April 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- Pennsylvania's top two youth volunteers of 2018,
Praneeth Alla, 16, of Exton and Ashley
Geesey, 13, of Bainbridge,
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. Praneeth and Ashley –
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 Praneeth and
Ashley Pennsylvania'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.
Praneeth., a junior at The Episcopal Academy, spent more than
1,500 hours creating a product for a nonprofit benefiting rural
villages in India, improving its
ability to collect and manage donations, publicize projects and
track income and expenditures. He also founded a network of youth
clubs to raise money to improve the education of children in
India. When Praneeth was a child,
his father told him stories about growing up poor in the
countryside of India. "He
recounted the difficulties in receiving a quality education, the
insufficient health conditions, and the limited amount of
opportunities," said Praneeth. In 2015, Praneeth traveled to
India to see for himself. While
observing dire conditions of poverty, he also was impressed with
the work of the District NRI Foundation, which seeks to improve
education, develop rural villages and provide people with basic
necessities. After speaking with its leaders, he learned that they
badly needed a user-friendly website to raise funds and
awareness.
Praneeth returned home determined to design such a tool for
them. Using his computer coding skills, he created an all-in-one
software product that allows website users to track NRI projects,
donate through PayPal, and see exactly how their donations are
being used. The site so far has helped the District NRI Foundation
raise more than $250,000, and is now
being used by another Indian nonprofit to collect food for food
banks. To get other students involved, Praneeth organized NRI Youth
Clubs in the U.S., mobilizing high schoolers to participate in
projects benefiting both their local communities and rural villages
in India. There are now 25 of
these clubs operating in several states. The youth clubs in
Praneeth's area alone have donated 55,000 pounds of food to the
local community, and have made donations to India that include 100 prosthetic limbs, 100
television sets and 44 wheelchairs.
Ashley, an eighth-grader at Elizabethtown Area Middle School,
raises money for sick children and other causes by working with her
sister and two friends to sell jewelry through local businesses and
their Instagram account. In the past, Ashley had raised money to
help others through bake sales and other activities. But she really
enjoys making jewelry and thought that might be a way to help those
less fortunate, particularly sick children. "I got started by
picking up some jewelry and messing around," she said. "I really
didn't have a motive. I just knew that I was a kid, in great
health, and I wanted to help those who were not."
After getting their parents' permission, Ashley and her friends
bought beads and other supplies and got to work making jewelry. To
advertise their creations, they created their own company,
"Jewelry4acause," and marketed their work to local businesses and
on an Instagram account. As treasurer, Ashley's job is to post
updates and events on their account and handle the money they
collect. When they started in the summer of 2016, their goal was to
raise $200. But as word spread, the
orders exceeded their expectations and it wasn't long before the
group had $2,000 to donate to the
Children's Miracle Network. Since then, they also donated
$300 to the victims of Hurricane
Harvey, and are now focusing their fundraising efforts on behalf of
the Four Diamonds Fund, which supports cancer care for children
being treated at Penn State Children's Hospital.
"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 Pennsylvania'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.