HELENA, Mont., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyla Johnston,
17, of Columbia Falls and
Karlee Albertson, 12, of
Billings today were named
Montana'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, Kyla and Karlee 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 Montana's top youth
volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Kyla Johnston
Nominated by Columbia
Falls High School
Kyla, a senior at Columbia Falls High School, started a
bilingual story hour and homework help sessions for
Spanish-speaking students at her school. At the beginning of the
school year, Kyla became aware of a new student who spoke only
Spanish. "He was lost and unable to communicate with any of the
teachers or students because he did not speak English," she said.
After discovering that other students in her school district were
struggling with the same problem, Kyla hatched a plan to assist
students who speak little or no English and create a safe space for
them "so that they feel welcome and supported."
She outlined a curriculum for her proposed reading and homework
program, then recruited her school's Spanish teacher to mentor her
and help map out a plan of action. Next, Kyla reached out to
teachers throughout her district and hung posters in schools and
local businesses to find kids who might be interested in her
program. Now, she gathers Spanish-speaking students at a local
library twice a month and reads a book to them, coordinates an
activity that goes along with the story, and helps them with their
homework afterward. Kyla has asked her high school Key Club to take
on the project after she graduates. Kyla said her project has
taught her that "it is a tremendous hardship to be a minority at a
school," and that "kids who do not speak English deserve to know
how the support of a tight-knit community
feels."
Middle Level State Honoree: Karlee Albertson
Nominated by
Castle Rock Middle School
Karlee, a sixth-grader at Castle Rock Middle School, has raised
nearly $20,000 over the past six
years to buy anonymous Christmas gifts for struggling families and
individuals, by painting nails at school events and community
venues. When she was just a first-grader, Karlee saw a TV
commercial about "being the change you wish to see." She and her
mother considered many possible ways she could make a difference in
her community before Karlee came up with the idea of painting nails
at her school's craft fair and using the proceeds to "adopt"
students and families on the school's Christmas Giving Tree. "I
felt it was important to help those less fortunate people who
couldn't afford Christmas," she said.
Shortly afterward, Karlee's grandfather, who always loved
Christmastime, died on Christmas Eve, so Karlee decided to continue
"as a way to carry on his memory," she said. She began painting
nails at various community events and locations, charging
$3 per customer. She also started
receiving donations of money, gift cards and nail polish as word of
her project spread and people learned about her GoFundMe page. With
money in hand, Karlee spends a lot of time shopping for presents,
and wraps them all with the help of a Boy Scout troop and other
volunteers. So far, she has given Christmas gifts anonymously to
more than 250 people. "My dream would be that someday, everybody
everywhere has a Christmas present under their tree and feels loved
and blessed," said
Karlee.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other Montana
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Montana's
Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Lauren Helbling, 17, of
Helena, Mont., a senior
at Capital High School, organized a prom dress drive that collected
more than 100 lightly-used formal dresses for high school girls who
could not otherwise afford to attend their school prom. She is now
expanding the drive into a community-wide program that will include
shoes, accessories, corsages, boutonnieres, make-up, hair styling
and men's formalwear for all dances in the Helena area.
Treven Maharg, 18, of
Helena, Mont., a senior
at Helena High School, organized a "Night with the Stars" prom
dance for people with disabilities at his church last April,
creating an evening of music, dancing, food, photos and fun for 120
attendees. Treven directed a committee that created a website to
publicize the event recruited volunteers to help, sought donations
of food, flowers and decorations, and managed logistics on the
night of the dance.
"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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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.