PROVIDENCE, R.I., Sept. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today through
November 5, 2019, The Prudential
Spirit of Community Awards is looking for Rhode Island's top youth volunteers of the
year.
Students in grades 5-12 are invited to apply for 2020 Prudential
Spirit of Community Awards if they have made meaningful
contributions to their communities through volunteer service within
the past 12 months. The application is available at
http://spirit.prudential.com and www.nassp.org/spirit.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by
Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association
of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), was created in 1995 to
recognize the exemplary volunteer work of middle level and high
school students. Since then, Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
have been given to more than 130,000 middle and high school
students across the country at the local, state and national
level.
"We've honored young people from three generations since this
program began, and while the world has changed many times over, one
thing has stayed the same: Young volunteers are doing remarkable,
meaningful work to address the challenges facing their
communities," said Charles Lowrey,
chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. "As we enter our
25th year, we remain inspired by these young people and their
stories of service, and hope that they'll inspire others to get
involved, too."
Rhode Island's top youth
volunteers of 2019 were Kierra
Giarrusso, 18, of Exeter, who 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, and Emily
Raimondi, 11, of Cumberland, who 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. Read more about Kierra and Emily at
http://spirit.prudential.com/honorees/2019/ri.
How to Apply
To apply for a 2020 Prudential Spirit of Community Award,
students and certifiers must complete the following steps:
- Students complete the online application by November 5, 2019.
- Then, students submit the application for certification to
their principal or head of a local participating organization.
- Certifiers review all applications for their school or
organization, then select a Local Honoree to nominate for
state-level judging by November 15,
2019.
Applications can be certified by a middle or high school
principal or head of a Girl Scout council, county 4-H organization,
American Red Cross chapter, YMCA or a Points of Light Global
Network member. (Students can request a paper application by
calling 888-651-2951.)
The 2020 Awards Program
On February 4, 2020, the top
middle level and high school volunteer from each state and the
District of Columbia will be named
State Honorees. They will receive $1,000 scholarships, engraved silver medallions
and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., with a parent or guardian
for four days of recognition events from May
2-5, 2020.
In Washington, a distinguished
national selection committee will name 10 of the 102 State Honorees
as America's top youth volunteers of the year. These National
Honorees will receive additional $5,000 scholarships, gold medallions, crystal
trophies for their nominating schools or organizations, and
$5,000 grants from The Prudential
Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their
choice.
Several Distinguished Finalists in each state will receive
bronze medallions, and runners-up will receive Certificates of
Excellence. Local Honorees selected by schools and participating
organizations for state-level judging will be presented with
Certificates of Achievement; they will also receive President's
Volunteer Service Awards if they have served the minimum number of
volunteer hours to qualify (26 hours for age 10 and younger, 50
hours for ages 11-15 and 100 hours for older students).
"When students use their energy, compassion and initiative to
improve the lives of others, they not only make a difference – they
also set an important example for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP.
"We're proud to honor middle level and high school students who go
above and beyond in their volunteer service."
About The Prudential Spirit of Community
Awards
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is the United States' largest youth recognition
program based solely on volunteer community service. The awards
program also is conducted in Japan, South
Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, India, China
and Brazil, where Prudential has
significant business operations.
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.
[Editors: The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
program logo and other multimedia resources are available at
http://spirit.prudential.com.]
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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.