BOSTON, Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Julia Cuddy, 17, of Needham and Will Gladstone, 14, of Arlington today were named Massachusetts' 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, Julia and Will 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 Massachusetts' top
youth volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Julia Cuddy
Nominated by Needham
High School
Julia, a senior at Needham High School, founded the Boston chapter of The Shoebox Project for
Shelters, a nonprofit organization that distributes
beautifully-wrapped shoeboxes filled with $50 worth of new personal care items and gifts to
homeless women across the U.S. and Canada during the holidays. Community service
trips to impoverished villages in Rwanda and India opened Julia's eyes to the injustices
and lack of opportunities that many women around the world face.
But even that didn't prepare her for the burgeoning population of
homeless women and families in her own area. "Boston's homeless population of 21,000 has
doubled since 1990," Julia said. "How could such a dramatic
disparity exist in the heart of a city known as a leader in higher
education, healthcare and strong employment?" Julia began
researching the needs of homeless women and the services available
to help. When she heard about The Shoebox Project, she knew she
wanted to start a chapter in Boston.
After an interview, the organization gave Julia the go-ahead.
She researched local charities to see which could benefit from
receiving shoeboxes and selected The Women's Lunch Place, a day
shelter for women. She then recruited five friends to join her in
seeking donations of cash and completed shoeboxes through a
website, social media, local news media and flyers distributed to
businesses and homes. Julia and her fellow volunteers used the cash
donations to purchase warm clothing accessories, toiletries,
treats, cosmetics, gift cards and other items, and then boxed them
up at wrapping parties at Julia's home. They distributed 225
shoeboxes the first year. For many of the recipients, the boxes
were the only Christmas presents they
received.
Middle Level State Honoree: Will Gladstone
Nominated by The
Fessenden School
Will, an eighth-grader at The Fessenden School, has raised more
than $40,000 by selling bright blue
socks to help discover why the reproductive rate of an iconic
blue-footed bird is declining on the Galapagos Islands. When Will
became interested in birds three years ago in his science class, he
learned that the population of blue-footed boobies on the islands
had dropped almost 60 percent over the past 30 years. "I wanted to
help it because it is such a special bird," he said. "It has bright
blue feet and dances to attract a mate. It is a symbol of the
Galapagos, one of the most special places on Earth." So he came up
with a plan to sell blue socks with a booby logo to benefit the
birds.
Will and his younger brother started The Blue Feet Foundation,
and their father found a manufacturer to make the socks. Will then
designed a website and began posting pictures and facts about the
blue-footed birds on social media. For the first three months, the
boys didn't have a single order. "We almost gave up," Will said.
But then they figured out how to use social media more effectively
to market their socks, which sell for $12.50 a pair. Today, much of Will's time is
spent filling orders and writing a personal thank you note to go
with each one. He gives interviews to the media about his cause and
promotes other environmental issues on his website. So far, Will's
foundation has sold more than 4,000 pairs of socks to people in 50
states and 37 countries. The proceeds are donated to the Galapagos
Conservancy, which has hired an expert to solve the mystery of the
blue footed booby's declining
birthrate.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized six other Massachusetts
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Massachusetts'
Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Lindsey Arruda, 16, of
Somerset, Mass., a junior
at Somerset Berkley Regional High School, co-founded the "We Stand
Strong Foundation," a nonprofit that has collected a significant
amount of money and items to assist people affected by the Boston
Marathon bombing and other difficult circumstances. The group has
raised more than $53,000 for worthy
causes and donated $285,000 worth of
eyeglasses to people in need overseas, in addition to supporting
many other local and global initiatives.
Tyler Boucher, 17, of
Fitchburg, Mass., a senior at
Saint John's High School, organized a 5K run and walk to fundraise for New England
Donor Services, an initiative that involved managing every event
detail, from securing corporate sponsors to finding a venue. Tyler
felt called to help others after a friend's mother passed away, and
was further inspired to serve by another friend's mother, a double
lung transplant recipient.
Hannah Finn, 16, of
Andover, Mass., a junior
at Andover High School, founded "The One Wish Project," which
grants children in homeless shelters a special birthday celebration
they may otherwise not be able to enjoy. The organization's
beginnings involved using her own money to fund baking cakes and
giving gifts to children; since then, she has partnered with the
Lazarus House and La Casa Nueva Vida, and now provides birthday
celebrations to about 50 children each year.
Julia Kay, 16, of
Tyngsborough, Mass., a junior at Tyngsborough High School,
leveraged her love of the environment to spearhead efforts that
successfully enacted a single-use plastic bag ban in her town. The
Girl Scout spoke at several community events to educate the public
about the advantages of the ban, and obtained signatures for a
petition; her efforts were rewarded when the town voted in favor of
her proposal and put the ban in place.
Juliana Lederman, 17, of
Marblehead, Mass., a
senior at Marblehead High School, has introduced STEM education to
more than 300 children as part of her efforts with "Little Miss
Science," an organization she started in 2016. She honed her
presentation and leadership skills as she taught at the Lynn Boys
and Girls Club, produced a STEM Night at a local school, and
created a detailed curriculum for more than 30 STEM projects.
Maxwell Surprenant, 15, of
Needham, Mass., a
freshman at St. Sebastian's School, is the co-founder of "Catching
Joy," a youth service initiative that has supported more than 60
charities and causes and mobilized more than 60,000 kids, teens and
families to make a difference. He also serves as a kid reporter for
the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps and produced the short film
"The Impact of Giving Back," which received an honorable mention in
the 2015 White House Student Film Festival.
"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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