WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Skylar Thomas, 17 and Feven Tadele, 12, today were named the
District of Columbia'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, Skylar and
Feven each will receive $1,000,
an engraved silver medallion and an invitation to join the top two
honorees from all 50 U.S. states in early May for four days of
national recognition events in Washington, D.C. 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 the District of
Columbia's top youth volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Skylar Thomas
Nominated by Ballou
Senior High School
Skylar, a senior at Ballou Senior High School, worked as a
summer youth camp counselor and tutor to help children from
low-income neighborhoods gain skills that will help them become
more successful in school and in life. As a young child, Skylar was
invited to participate in Reaching New Heights, a program sponsored
by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. "My mentor helped
change my life by being there for me when I wasn't focused on
school, giving me someone to talk to about adolescent issues other
than my mother, and continuously preaching that education is
power," said Skylar.
Three years ago, Skylar was invited by the police department to
come back to the program as a summer camp counselor. Growing up,
she saw a lot of kids who were always playing video games, who
didn't want to go to school, and who had difficulty completing
their homework. "I wanted to change their way of thinking," she
said. Her first job as a volunteer was to help the program director
conduct an orientation session for parents to explain the program's
mission and goals and to get permission for the children to
participate. Then, on Saturdays and weekday evenings, Skylar helped
young students improve their reading skills, taught them to express
themselves through writing, bolstered their vocabulary and math
skills, and showed them how much fun science can be. She also
assisted them with community service projects and accompanied the
group on field trips. "I wanted these kids to know and believe
there is hope for a positive future, and that I am here to help
them achieve their dreams," said
Skylar.
Middle Level State Honoree: Feven Tadele
Nominated by St.
Augustine Catholic School
Feven, a seventh-grader at St. Augustine Catholic School, is a
dedicated volunteer who gives back to her community and beyond in
many ways, including packing food for people in need, teaching
Sunday school at her church, and traveling to Ethiopia to aid people living in poverty and
teach English. Feven said her older sister is her primary
inspiration for serving others. "Ever since I was little I have
looked up to my sister because I always saw her helping others in
some way," said Feven. She soon discovered that volunteering was
its own reward. "It gives me a happy feeling inside," she said.
When she was about 7 years old, Feven started following in her
sister's footsteps by selling chocolates at her church to raise
money for her school. Then she offered to help struggling students
with their homework, and assisted teachers in sprucing up their
classrooms. Gradually, she increased her commitment to helping
others and began teaching the Bible to children at her church,
distributing holiday cards at a senior citizens home, and packing
food to give to the poor in her community. Last summer, Feven, her
sister and a friend traveled to Ethiopia to feed people in need and teach
English to children there. "Teaching children who are eager to
learn always gives me an overflow of joy," said Feven. "Every time
I teach a student, I believe that I am helping prepare that child
for the real world and helping them to become great citizens and a
great asset to their
community."
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other District of
Columbia students as Distinguished
Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each
will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are the District of
Columbia's Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Anjali Bose, 16, a
junior at Georgetown Day School, founded and runs the D.C.
chapter of Toybank, an organization devoted to improving children's
cognitive function through play; she began volunteering at the
foundation at its home base in her native city of Mumbai. In Washington, she collected nearly 100 toys in
three months to send to India,
staying in constant contact with the central office and mastering
the logistics of collecting, storing, quality-checking and shipping
the donations.
Lukas Leijon,
18, a senior at School Without Walls High School,
created and maintained trails on both the Appalachian Trail and
auxiliary trails in the Northeast with the Appalachian Mountain
Club for three summers. He cleared fallen trees, built bog bridges
and lodged rocks in the trail to combat erosion, guiding less
experienced club members and becoming certified in Wilderness First
Aid; his work will help maintain the beauty and accessibility of
the trail for another hundred years.
"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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