TOPEKA, Kan., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunter Hotaling, 18, of Lansing and Riley
Padget-Cook, 11, of Minneapolis today were named Kansas' 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, Hunter and Riley 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 Kansas' top youth
volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Hunter Hotaling
Nominated by
Lansing High School
Hunter, a senior at Lansing High School, mobilized nine of the
schools he's attended over the years to collect and contribute
clothing, supplies and money for students and staff at his former
elementary school, following the devastation caused by Hurricane
Harvey in the Houston area in
2017. The son of two military veterans, Hunter has had to change
schools frequently as his family moved from place to place, but he
always had particularly fond memories of his first school, Franz
Elementary in Katy, Texas. So when
he learned that the school sustained significant damage during
Hurricane Harvey, and that students and teachers there lost homes
and belongings, Hunter sprang into action.
Hunter found volunteers to sponsor individual classrooms at
Franz Elementary and determine their needs, then contacted the
principal at each of his former schools – plus more than 40
organizations and individuals around the world – to ask for help in
collecting new clothes, school supplies and monetary donations for
Franz Elementary. Within a month, Hunter was able to deliver
thousands of dollars in contributions to the little school in
Katy. In addition, Hunter has
spearheaded numerous drives to collect cereal, diapers, hygiene
products, clothing and other essentials for a variety of charities,
and last winter recruited 20 classmates to give free holiday
manicures to residents of a local retirement home. "Because I have
the unique privilege of being able to help others in need simply
because I can, I feel it is my duty to create these projects in my
community," he said.
Middle Level State Honoree: Riley Padget-Cook
Nominated by Girl
Scouts of Kansas Heartland
Riley, a fifth-grader at Bennington Elementary School, started a
business selling containers of a gooey toy substance known as
"slime" to raise money for disaster relief, cancer awareness,
hospital wagons and a local family in need of help. When her father
traveled to Florida in 2017 to
help restore electricity after Hurricane Irma, Riley became aware
of the many needs of families affected by the storm. "I wanted to
help," she said, "so I came up with my slime business and used the
money earned to donate for disaster relief."
With encouragement and help from her grandmother, Riley shopped
for supplies and began making slime. After a lot of trial and error
and feedback from customers, she improved her product, designed a
container label and started marketing through promotional videos
and her grandma's Facebook page. It quickly became so popular that
Riley invited her best friend to join the business. They sought
permission to sell their slime at school events, and broadened
their product line to include a variety of colors and flavors. In
less than two months, Riley's business generated more than
$1,500. Riley sent two-thirds to
disaster victims in Florida and
used the rest to promote awareness of childhood cancer, buy three
collapsible wagons for cancer patients and assist a single mother
with four
children.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Kansas
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Kansas' Distinguished
Finalists for 2019:
Slater Heglin, 18, of Ulysses,
Kan., a senior at Ulysses High School, formed a
project management team of fellow seniors at his school to raise
funds to provide turkeys for local families who couldn't afford a
traditional Thanksgiving meal. In their "Tokens for Turkeys"
project, the group invited students to contribute coins to select
which pair of teachers at Ulysses High would swap jobs for a
day.
Lanya Meade, 14, of
Kansas City, Kan., a
freshman at Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, organized a class
competition at her school to collect donations that were used to
provide feminine hygiene items to girls in homeless families or
transitional living facilities. She also hosted a free self-defense
class at her school to teach her peers how to stay safe in
dangerous situations.
Abbey Pemberton, 17, of
Hutchinson, Kan., a
senior at Hutchinson High School, led a lobbying effort that
persuaded the Hutchinson City Council to pass an ordinance banning
electronic cigarettes in the same places where traditional
cigarettes are not allowed, then convinced six towns in her county
to prohibit tobacco use in public parks, as well. Since then, she
has made several presentations to educate her community and its
civic leaders about the dangers of smoking.
Ethan Tatro, 18, of
Topeka, Kan., a senior at
Washburn Rural High School, conducted a drive that collected 1,200
books so that all of the students at two elementary schools in
low-income areas could take home a volume that interested them.
After Ethan delivered the books, he spoke during assemblies at both
schools, sharing his personal love of books and explaining the
essential role that reading over the summer plays in helping kids
stay ahead in school.
"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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