JUNEAU, Alaska, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoe Nelles, 17, of Palmer and Caleb Song, 13, of Anchorage today were named Alaska's top two youth volunteers of 2020 by
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program
honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As
State Honorees, Zoe and Caleb 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 2020.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its
25th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in
partnership with the National Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP).
These are Alaska's top youth
volunteers of 2020:
High School State Honoree: Zoe Nelles
Nominated by Palmer High
School
Zoe, a senior at Palmer High School, provides bags of
nonperishable food every Friday to 60 students in need who receive
free meals at school during the week, but who may have little to
eat on the weekends. She came up with the idea for "The Sandwich
Project" in the fall of 2018 after hearing that another school had
a similar program that fed 20 children. "I was surprised by the
number and wondered if we had this large of a need at Palmer," Zoe said.
To begin, she asked her school nurse to identify students who
were at risk of weekend hunger and persuaded a teacher to be her
advisor. She then started assembling bags of nonperishable food
items in her own kitchen for seven students. As the need became
more apparent, Zoe's program began to grow with the help of
donations from community members, a food drive at her school and
appeals on social media. When she received a grant from a local
foundation, she expanded her project to two local elementary
schools. Zoe then arranged additional assistance from a local food
bank, which contributes ingredients for her food bags; from her
school's culinary arts teacher, who offers space in her classroom
to store food and make the meals; and from her school's National
Honor Society members, who help assemble the food bags. "Being a
kid is hard enough," said Zoe, "but not knowing if you are going to
eat over the weekend is unimaginable."
Middle Level State Honoree: Caleb Song
Nominated by Northern
Lights ABC School
Caleb, an eighth-grader at Northern Lights ABC School, plays an
active role in the efforts of his parents' church ministry to aid
people experiencing homelessness in his community. "I have been
assisting the homeless since I can remember," said Caleb. As a
toddler, Caleb accompanied his parents to a homeless shelter, and
then gradually began helping with various aspects of the shelter's
operation. As Caleb got older, the jobs he was tasked with grew
more complex. "Helping the homeless," he discovered, "is neither
simple nor easy. It requires passion, confidence and
sacrifice."
Currently, Caleb sets up the shelter's sound system, greets
people and assists at an information desk. He also makes lemonade,
prepares and serves dinner trays, plays the violin and cleans up
after meals. At Christmastime, he has helped raise money to buy
gifts for people at the shelter. In addition, he visits other local
shelters, a soup kitchen, an assisted-living home and a hospital,
where he hands out snacks and fliers. He finds time to do all this
on both weekends and weekdays, coordinating his volunteer
activities with school and other responsibilities. "I have seen
hardened souls transform because of the work I do, even though it
may be small," said Caleb.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other Alaska
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Alaska's
Distinguished Finalists for 2020:
Anna Devolld, 14, of
Soldotna, Alaska, a freshman
at Connections Alaska Homeschool Program, is the founder of
"Promote Our Pollinators (P.O.P.)," through which she gives
presentations about the environmental importance of pollinators,
distributes informational materials and hands out "pollinator
packs" to encourage habitat creation. Anna works with businesses,
schools, senior centers and Rotary clubs to spread awareness, and
is collaborating with her local government to install permanent
pollinator garden signs in community spaces.
Natalie Fraser, 18, of
Anchorage, Alaska, a senior at
West High School, is the founder and co-chair of "Mental Health
Advocacy Through Storytelling (MHATS)," a student group that
promotes mental health awareness through personal storytelling.
Along with participating in group sessions, Natalie and other MHAT
members hosted a live storytelling show, appeared on Alaska public radio, presented at youth
leadership conferences and spoke in front of state lawmakers to
support related healthcare legislation.
"In our 25th year of honoring young volunteers,
we are as inspired as ever by the work students are doing to
address the needs of a changing world," said Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential
Financial, Inc. "We hope that their resolve, their initiative and
their perspectives on society's challenges move others to consider
how they can make a difference, too."
"Middle level and high school students are doing remarkable
things to shape the future of their communities through volunteer
service. They inspire all students and schools to drive learning
with real-world challenges," said JoAnn
Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP.
"Congratulations to each of the 2020 honorees – it's an honor
to celebrate your commitment to creating positive change."
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 Points of Light Global Network members,
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 4, 10 of the State
Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will
be named America's top youth volunteers of 2020. These National
Honorees will receive additional $5,000 scholarships, gold medallions, crystal
trophies and $5,000 grants from
Prudential for nonprofit charitable organizations of their
choice.
Since the program began in 1995, more than 130,000 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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