DOVER, Del., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Madison Vogel,
17, of Ocean View and Reagan Garnsey, 13, of Dover today were named Delaware'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, Madison and Reagan 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 Delaware's top youth
volunteers of 2020:
High School State Honoree: Madison Vogel
Nominated by Sussex
Technical High School
Madison, a senior at Sussex Technical High School, has helped
her family organize a variety of events over the past seven years
that have collected money and books for the families of children
with cancer, following the death of her youngest sister from a rare
brain tumor when she was only 5. "I was inspired by the strength my
sister had while she was fighting this horrible disease," said
Madison. So when her parents created the Get Well Gabby Foundation,
Madison was anxious to work within the foundation to raise funds to
find a cure and to assist in the care and well-being of children
and families dealing with cancer.
Over the years, Madison has helped plan, manage and recruit
volunteers for events such as a 5K
run/walk, a carnival, a "princess and pirate" breakfast, a bowling
night and a Secret Santa shop. These events have raised large
amounts of money to pay for medical treatments and other expenses
incurred by families of kids with malignancies, as well as for
research. These fundraising activities also built a $125,000 playroom in the oncology unit of a
children's hospital in Wilmington.
In addition, Madison has helped conduct an annual drive that has
collected thousands of new books each year for young people with
cancer across the country. "Saddened by the loss of my sister, I
have fought to bring about more awareness of childhood cancer and
make sure others do not have to suffer the same fate as Gabby, as
no one should have to endure what she did," said Madison.
Middle Level State Honoree: Reagan Garnsey
Nominated by Holy
Cross School
Reagan, a seventh-grader at Holy Cross School, founded a
nonprofit organization with her little sister that has distributed
nearly 7,500 plastic buckets filled with toys, games and crafts in
all 50 states to children in hospitals, homeless shelters, foster
care or who are faced with other challenges or hardships. Reagan
began volunteering at age 4 by hosting a lemonade stand during the
summer to raise money for a national charity focused on childhood
cancer. In second grade, she started a knitting club at her school
that ended up producing more than 1,200 hand-knitted hats for
people in shelters and hospitals. Following the success of that
project, "I started to think about my next big idea, and Buckets of
Love Foundation was born," said Reagan.
Reagan and her sister, Payton, collect money and items to fill
their buckets by conducting bake sales and toy drives, and by
soliciting donations and sponsors through letters, a video, a
website and social media. They also have launched an annual
fundraising golf tournament. Once buckets are filled with things
designed to bring a smile to the face of a deserving child, the
sisters include little notes telling the recipients that they are
loved and appreciated. Then partner organizations are recruited to
distribute the buckets in their locations. The project, said
Reagan, reflects "our deep love for helping those who are less
fortunate and in need of cheering up. The smiles on the faces of
the children receiving our buckets have made all our efforts
worthwhile."
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other Delaware
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Delaware's
Distinguished Finalists for 2020:
Megan Chen, 16, of
Newark, Delaware, a junior at
Newark Charter Junior/Senior High School, is the founder and
executive director of "The Urban Garden Initiative (TUGI)," a
nonprofit that has taught more than 500 participants how to start
container gardens by offering workshops at inner-city schools and
community centers. Megan, who first began gardening with her
family, was inspired to start TUGI after learning about the lack of
access to fresh, affordable produce near her community.
Madelyn David, 16, of
Middletown, Delaware, a junior
at St. Georges Technical High School, developed "Project Read 2 Me"
to improve literacy in her community; in addition to hosting
events, Madelyn spread awareness about her campaign, distributed
stuffed animals for children to read to, and built a Little Free
Library where people can donate and take books. Madelyn also built
a website and used social media to encourage people to pledge to
read aloud to others on a regular basis.
"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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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.