CHEYENNE, Wyo., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Noelle
Peterson, 18, of Encampment and
Lily Harris, 12, of Green River today were named Wyoming'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, Noelle and Lily 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 Wyoming's top youth
volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Noelle Peterson
Nominated by
Encampment K-12 School
Noelle, a senior at Encampment K-12 School, has provided caps,
craft kits and coloring books for at least 150 children being
treated for cancer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital over
the past three years, to honor her father, who died from lung
cancer when she was 5 years old. Noelle recalled that her family
received a tremendous amount of support after her father's death
from extended family members, teachers and their community. "It
honestly changed our lives," she said. "As I got older, I wanted to
help people in the same way." She researched options for helping
cancer patients, and settled on volunteering for St. Jude because
it focuses on children and provides treatment regardless of a
family's ability to pay.
Noelle started by making cancer caps for kids in the oncology
unit at St. Jude. After learning the sewing process and selecting
fun patterns, she gathered sewing machines and materials and
recruited other young people to help her make more than 100 caps.
Noelle then assembled more than 75 craft kits for children at the
hospital, and collected over 100 coloring books from friends and
family for Christmas and her birthday. She sent them all to St.
Jude by mail, but one day hopes to deliver more gifts personally to
young cancer patients there. "I hope they understand that even
though we've never met, there are people supporting their fight,"
said Noelle. "Maybe my contribution will give them a positive
feeling on a day they are struggling, and give them the courage to
keep pushing through."
Middle Level State Honoree: Lily Harris
Nominated by Lincoln
Middle School
Lily, a sixth-grader at Lincoln Middle School, took it upon
herself to water flowers in her city's downtown, sold her own
stuffed animals to help a boy with a brain injury travel to his
doctor, and collected donations for families displaced by a
wildfire in Montana. When gas
prices and related tax revenues dropped, Lily's town could no
longer afford to pay someone to water the flowers in its downtown
area, she said. So Lily collected 40 milk jugs from a recycling
center, filled them with water, loaded them into her family's car,
and asked her mother to drive around to 20 municipal flower pots so
she could pour water on them. She's already collecting seeds to
replant all of the pots this year to save her town additional tax
money.
When Lily learned that a boy with a brain injury needed to
travel 12 hours each month to visit an expensive specialist, she
wanted to help. "I knew I could not pay for his doctor," she said,
"but I could help him get there." So she gathered up her stuffed
animals – her most valuable possessions – and offered them for sale
in front of a grocery store. Passers-by gave her enough money to
buy gas for the boy's doctor visits for the rest of the year. Lily
also wanted to do something for families who lost their homes to a
Montana wildfire. She knocked on
doors after school to explain the need, and sent donations to the
Lolo Peak Fire Disaster Relief Fund. "I feel so good when I
volunteer!" said Lily.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other Wyoming
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Wyoming's
Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Terissa McClure, 17, of
Recluse, Wyo., a senior
at Arvada-Clearmont Junior/Senior High School, helped organize a
benefit through her Future Farmers of America chapter to raise
money to cover the medical costs for a former member fighting
thyroid cancer. Along with working with others to organize the
logistics of the event, Terissa helped create metal projects to
auction off during the benefit.
Rebecca Monahan, 17, of
Cheyenne, Wyo., a member
of the Girl Scouts of Montana and
Wyoming and a senior at Cheyenne
South High School, revitalized a community garden that had been
abandoned, using the opportunity to teach younger Girl Scouts how
to plant, care for and harvest crops to donate to a local food
bank. Next season, Rebecca plans to establish a wider partnership
with the food bank, working to educate people with special needs
about gardening, as well.
"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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