DOVER, Del., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Harrison Barnes, 17 and Shelby Farris, 13, both of Bridgeville, today were named Delaware'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, Harrison and Shelby 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 Delaware's top youth
volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Harrison Barnes
Nominated by
Woodbridge High School
Harrison, a senior at Woodbridge High School, founded a
nonprofit organization called "GearUp" that promotes bicycle riding
as a way for young people to overcome personal challenges. He does
this by refurbishing and giving away free used bikes, offering
prizes for reaching weekly cycling goals, hosting an annual
multi-state bicycle event for children of military families, and
mentoring young cyclists who have physical or developmental
disabilities. When Harrison was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum
disorder as a young child, experts said he would probably not
graduate from high school or ever become independent. But at age
12, his parents took him to a bicycle racetrack, "and a whole new
world opened up for me," he said. As he became a racing enthusiast,
Harrison's social and academic skills improved dramatically.
Wondering if there really was a connection between bike riding and
the challenges that come with having special needs, he researched
the subject and discovered that kids who ride bikes regularly have
improved self-esteem, confidence, social skills, communication
abilities and school grades. "I decided I wanted to help make sure
as many kids as possible could ride bikes," he said.
To date, Harrison's GearUp initiative has recruited mentors to
help more than 100 children with disabilities enjoy the benefits of
bike riding. He and his partners have collected used bikes and
refurbished them for kids who cannot afford to buy a bicycle. Last
summer, over 120 kids signed up to ride at least 10 hours a week in
GearUp's Summer Bike Challenge, earning prizes and rewards provided
by sponsors. And at Harrison's "Grab Life by the Bars" event, more
than 300 volunteers in nine states helped 1,500 children from
military families learn to ride bicycles. "Riding a bike can make a
difference in the life of other kids just like it did for me," he
said.
Middle Level State Honoree: Shelby Farris
Nominated by
Woodbridge Middle School
Shelby, an eighth-grader at Woodbridge Middle School, creates
pre-printed greeting cards and then encourages people across the
country to color them and send them to veterans, hospital patients,
the elderly, grieving families and others who need a little cheer
in their lives. A few years ago, Shelby's mother was staffing an
event booth asking attendees to make greeting cards for veterans,
with relatively little success. "I came up with the idea of making
cards that looked like a coloring book page, figuring that maybe if
all people had to do was color, they wouldn't be as reluctant to
make a card," said Shelby. It worked! At the next event, nearly 100
people created cards.
Realizing that this was a way to use her love of art to serve
others, Shelby began creating "Coloring Card" templates and
distributing them to individuals and organizations such as Girl
Scout troops, American Red Cross chapters, schools, churches,
summer camps and children's hospitals. She also traveled to fairs,
festivals and other events to solicit participation in her card
project. In addition, Shelby uses a website and social media to
suggest other things people can make to brighten someone's day. So
far, she has collected and distributed more than 7,000 coloring
cards, and over 3,500 other volunteers have reported completing
more than 10,000 projects in concert with Shelby's "HeartArt"
campaign. "Simple acts of kindness, like helping someone make a
greeting card and then sending it to someone to give them a smile,
can make a world of difference," said
Shelby.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other Delaware
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Delaware's
Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Kayla Bright, 16, of
Middletown, Del., a
junior at MOT Charter High School, is a senior cadet-member at the
Delaware City Volunteer Fire
Company, where she helps people involved in medical or disaster
situations and assists new cadets during their training. Inspired
by her great-grandfather, who served in the department for 75
years, Kayla joined the moment she was eligible at age 14; she has
taken numerous classes to develop her skills in firefighting,
vehicle rescue, hazmat awareness and more.
Jacqueline Means, 16, of
Wilmington, Del., a
junior at Delaware Military Academy, founded the "Wilmington Urban
STEM Initiative" (W.U.S.I.) to inspire a love of science,
technology, engineering and math among girls in need in her
hometown. Through W.U.S.I. events, she has brought hands-on science
experiments, interactive anti-bullying demonstrations, inspiring
talks from prominent women and a vision of a brighter future to
more than 300 girls.
"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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