FRANKFORT, Ky., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Allison Tu, 17,
of Louisville and Annemarie Fuerst, 14, of Covington today were named Kentucky's top two youth volunteers of 2019 by
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program
honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As
State Honorees, Allison and Annemarie each will receive
$1,000, an engraved silver medallion
and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top
two honorees from each of the other states and the District of
Columbia for four days of national recognition
events. During the trip, 10 students will be named
America's top youth volunteers of 2019.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its
24th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in
partnership with the National Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP).
These are Kentucky's top youth
volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Allison Tu
Nominated by duPont
Manual High School
Allison, a senior at duPont Manual High
School, launched a youth-driven initiative to raise
awareness of student mental health issues and find ways to combat
the alarmingly high rates of depression, anxiety and suicide among
young people in Kentucky. When she was in middle school,
Allison didn't have to look hard to see classmates struggling with
sadness and stress, many who turned to substance abuse. "But none
were getting help," she said. "After two students I knew took their
own lives, I'd had enough of watching my friends and peers suffer
alone."
Allison began posting ideas on her bedroom walls, and then
consulted with a broad range of teachers, advisors and peers to
devise a multiphase plan to improve mental health programs and
services for young people in her state. Next, she formed an
organization called "StAMINA" (Student Alliance for Mental Health
Innovation and Action); sought support from student leaders
throughout Kentucky as well as key
adults in government, healthcare and education; and obtained more
than $100,000 in grants to fund her
new initiative. One of StAMINA's first steps was to assemble rural
and urban focus groups to gain student and parent perspectives on
mental health needs. Allison's group also has sponsored three youth
summits to discuss pertinent issues and train youth advocates, and
a "Youth Mental Health Ideathon" at which 50 students, parents and
mental health professionals brainstormed program ideas. Three ideas
from that event are now being developed: a podcast, adult-youth
conversation cards and a mental health app. In addition, Allison
has spoken about her organization at conferences around the
country, and is now lobbying her state legislature on behalf of a
bill that would increase the number of mental health professionals
in schools.
Middle Level State Honoree: Annemarie Fuerst
Nominated by Girl
Scouts of Kentucky's Wilderness
Road
Annemarie, an eighth-grader at Guardian Angels Academy at
Stonebridge, worked with her Girl Scout troop to restore a
dilapidated arts and crafts barn at a scout camp. "We loved camping
there and decided we wanted to return to it at least once a year,"
said Annemarie of Camp Cardinal, a Girl Scout camp two hours from
her home. She and her peers wanted to do something for the camp, so
they talked to its caretakers about ways they could help. When
Annemarie heard that the arts and crafts barn was in dire need of
repair, she wanted to pitch in. "I love many kinds of art," she
said. "So this was a good match for me."
To begin the project, Annemarie and her fellow scouts set a list
of goals, then prepared a PowerPoint slideshow to present their
ideas to scout officials and troop leaders. After they obtained
approval, the girls got their first look inside the barn in
November 2017. "It was quite a mess,"
said Annemarie. The building was covered with graffiti and filled
with old mattresses and a broken kiln. The art tables were covered
with paint, marker ink and glitter, and the chairs were rusted and
had been chewed by rodents. The team moved items to storage,
organized supplies, built a shelf and scrubbed. After Annemarie
asked her neighbors to donate paint and painting supplies, she and
the others went back and covered the graffiti with fresh paint.
Then she set out to restore the tables so that future scouts would
be able to create their art on a clean surface. "The difference
from before and after was amazing!" Annemarie said. An added
benefit was that during the project, the girls uncovered paintings
that Girl Scouts from as far back as the 1960s had created. They
displayed the artwork in hopes that "they inspire current scouts,"
she said.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Kentucky
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Kentucky's
Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Richard Knupp, 18, of
Russell, Ky., a senior at
Russell High School, offers free math tutoring to help other
students complete their homework, prepare for tests or simply
understand the material. Inspired by his father, who is a teacher,
Richard has spent the past five years creating, promoting and
growing this service, which has helped countless students improve
their grades, their study skills and their self-confidence.
Eleanor Liu, 18, of
Lexington, Ky., a senior at
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, has spearheaded "Broadcasting
Environmental Endangerment (BEE)," a comprehensive effort to
reverse the critical decline of the bee population in her home
state of Kentucky. Her efforts
have included an interactive elementary school curriculum, social
media outreach and a pollinator garden at her high school.
Jennifer Mays, 17, of
Wingo, Ky., a senior at
Northside Baptist Christian School, has spent more than 500 hours
over the past four years volunteering to read with, teach,
encourage and perform administrative duties supporting nearly 300
third-grade children. By sharing these tasks, she has freed
teachers to concentrate more closely on their students' learning,
helped the children to thrive and reignited her own passion for
education.
Lillian Meekin, 17, of
Lexington, Ky., a senior
at Lexington Catholic High School, launched a farm-to-table school
lunch program that has delivered a menu of fresh, nutritious foods,
an engaging environment and economic support for both the school
and local farmers. She collaborated with parents, students,
administrators, farmers, government officials and donors on the
project, which recently expanded to offer healthful meals for
children in need at the Conquest Boys and Girls Club.
"These young volunteers learned and demonstrated that they
can make meaningful contributions to individuals and
communities through their service," said Prudential CEO
Charles Lowrey. "It's an honor to
recognize their great work, and we hope that shining a spotlight on
their service inspires others to consider how they might make a
difference."
"Each of these honorees is proof that students have the energy,
creativity and unique perspectives to create positive change," said
JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director
of NASSP. "We commend each of the 2019 honorees for their
outstanding volunteer service, and for the invaluable example
they've set for their peers."
About The Prudential Spirit of Community
Awards
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents
the United States' largest youth
recognition program based solely on volunteer service. All public
and private middle level and high schools in the country, as well
as all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red
Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn
Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local
Prudential Spirit of Community Award. These Local Honorees were
then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State
Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including
personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth.
While in Washington, D.C., the
102 State Honorees – one middle level and one high school
student from each state and the District
of Columbia – will tour the capital's landmarks, meet top
youth volunteers from other parts of the world, attend a gala
awards ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History, and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol
Hill. On May 6, 10 of the State
Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will
be named America's top youth volunteers of 2019. These National
Honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies
and $5,000 grants from The Prudential
Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their
choice.
Since the program began in 1995, more than 125,000 young
volunteers have been honored at the local, state and national
level. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, India, China
and Brazil. In addition to
granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
program also distributes President's Volunteer Service Awards to
qualifying Local Honorees.
For information on all of this year's Prudential Spirit of
Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, 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.
For Spirit of Community Awards
program logo and medallion
graphics, please visit
https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media
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