PROVIDENCE, R.I., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kierra Giarrusso, 17, of Exeter and Emily
Raimondi, 10, of Cumberland
today were named Rhode Island'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,
Kierra and Emily 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 Rhode Island's top
youth volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Kierra Giarrusso
Nominated by
Exeter-West Greenwich Regional High School
Kierra, a senior at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional High School,
worked with a classmate to develop a weeklong summer educational
program that enabled 30 elementary school students to learn basic
science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) concepts by
conducting fun experiments. Kierra struggled with math when she was
in elementary school, and recognized that she needed to work on her
skills during the summer as well as during the school year. "I was
always assigned summer reading projects, but never math," she said.
"Students need to engage in programs during the summer to support
the retention of math and science information, as well as
reading."
So in March 2018, Kierra set out
to address that issue by starting the first STEAM summer program in
the Exeter-West Greenwich area. With the help of her
classmate, she researched similar programs in other places, drafted
a curriculum, and tested experiments to use in her program. Within
one week of distributing registration forms, 30 kids in second to
fourth grade had signed up, filling all of the available slots.
Once the program began last August, high school students and a
teacher recruited by Kierra helped supervise hands-on activities
that employed things such as sugar crystals, lava lamps, salt
painting, an egg drop and a car engineering challenge to teach the
young attendees STEAM concepts. It was truly rewarding, said
Kierra, "to see their eyes light up with delight when they
understood the concepts." She plans to offer two sessions of her
program next year, along with a nighttime session for older
students, and already has a waiting list of interested
participants.
Middle Level State Honoree: Emily Raimondi
Nominated by Garvin
Memorial School
Emily, a fifth-grader at Garvin Memorial School, collects gifts
for kids from low-income families and for homeless pets in an
animal shelter, and has raised nearly $10,000 over the past four years for people with
spinal cord injuries. At Christmastime, instead of exchanging gifts
with family and friends, Emily hosts a party for the Toys for Tots
program, which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot
afford to buy them Christmas presents. And then, on her birthday,
she throws another party and asks friends to bring donations of pet
food and pet toys, instead of gifts for her. "I bring all of the
donations to the animal shelter, which is always so much fun
because I love going to see all the dogs and cats and knowing that
they will be happier," said Emily.
But Emily's biggest project is raising money for the Travis Roy
Foundation, established by a Boston
University hockey player who was paralyzed from the neck
down 11 seconds into his first game. "I was in an accident and my
neck hurt and I was scared I was going to be like Travis," she
said. "Everything was OK, but I wanted to be sure that people who
had spinal cord injuries would get the help they needed." To
raise funds, Emily sells cakes that she bakes from scratch and
decorates. She also hosts skating events and "board-breaking"
karate parties, and publicizes these activities by speaking to
classes at her school and making Facebook videos explaining spinal
cord injuries. "Through community service I learned that I can do
many kind things, and that it means a lot to other people, and that
makes me happy," said
Emily.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other Rhode Island
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Rhode Island's
Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Olivia Barboza, 17, of
Cumberland, R.I., a senior at
Cumberland High School, recruited volunteers to help her create and
send 62 menstrual hygiene care kits for female students attending
school in rural Northern Ghana.
Olivia also raised money for a health care educator to teach the
recipients about menstrual health, and hopes the care kits empower
girls to continue attending school and complete their
education.
Connor Enestvedt, 14, of
Cumberland, R.I., a freshman
at Cumberland High School, has spent hundreds of volunteer hours
planting, tending and harvesting crops for the Historic Metcalf
Franklin Farm, a town-owned farm that provides organic vegetables
for those experiencing food insecurity. Along with general farm
work, Connor has also educated others about the project, which
donates an average of 40,000 pounds of food each year.
"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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