DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Augustus Ehlers, 16, of Edgewood and Lilliana
Tracy, 11, of Bellevue
today were named Iowa'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, Augustus and
Lilliana 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 Iowa's top youth
volunteers of 2020:
High School State Honoree: Augustus Ehlers
Nominated by
Clayton County 4-H
Augustus, a junior at Edgewood-Colesburg High School,
coordinated and managed the fabrication of more than 350 steel
gates for animal pens at the county fairgrounds, saving the fair
board in his small county more than $60,000. As part of its plans to build a new
swine and sheep barn at the fairgrounds, the Clayton County Fair
board solicited bids from local livestock equipment companies to
build animal pens and gates for the new barn. But "the bids were
coming in high," said Augustus, noting that the fair has a small
budget. "I thought we could take the expenses and make them a
little bit smaller."
Augustus researched the project, and then asked a local welding
shop owner to quote a price for the required steel. He figured he
could do the welding, aided by other volunteers. He put together a
budget, presented his plan at a few fair board meetings, and
submitted a formal bid. It was accepted. When the steel for the
project was ready, Augustus recruited dozens of volunteers from his
4-H club and Boy Scout troop, and began welding together 5- to
10-foot gates. The whole process took almost a year to complete,
and it ended up costing less than half of the next lowest bid.
Augustus' project will ensure that "livestock shown in the barn
will have safe and humane pens and gating," he said, and "thousands
of fair-goers, exhibitors, parents and spectators will benefit for
years to come."
Middle Level State Honoree: Lilliana Tracy
Nominated by
Marquette Catholic Schools
Lilliana, a sixth-grader at Marquette Catholic Schools, makes
regular visits to a local nursing home to cheer up residents and
make them feel a little less lonely. Every Christmas, there's a
Christmas tree in her community with the names of people confined
to their homes and nursing-home residents. In 2017, Lilliana picked
the name of a woman at Mill Valley Nursing Home and visited her
throughout the holiday season. "But I wanted to visit her more than
just during the Christmas season," she said, "so I have been
visiting her every other month for the last two years." Lilliana
enjoyed the visits so much that she selected the name of another
woman at the nursing home the following year, and now visits her as
well.
During her visits, Lilliana chats with her new friends, plays
games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Hangman, watches Chicago Cubs
baseball games on TV, and plays songs for them on her trumpet.
Sometimes she brings her little sister with her. "Now she wants to
go with me all the time," said Lilliana. It's difficult finding the
time outside of school and extracurricular activities for her
visits, but "I can't even imagine what it would be like to be
lonely," she said. "It is a joy for them to get visitors, and it is
a joy for me to see them happy."
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Iowa students
as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Iowa's Distinguished
Finalists for 2020:
Kylie Beelner, 16, of
Kingsley, Iowa, a member of
Plymouth County 4-H and a junior
at Kingsley-Pierson High School, has created and donated more than
35 sleeping mats crocheted out of recycled plastic bags to people
experiencing homelessness. For her project, Kylie has spread
awareness of her mission, recruited and trained volunteers,
collected plastic bag donations and helped source fabric scraps for
a woman who sews homemade quilts as part of her initiative.
Pedro Flores, 18, of
Clinton, Iowa, a senior at
Clinton High School, regularly volunteers his time at the Gateway
Area Community Center, teaching children from low-income families
basic boxing techniques through weekly lessons; Pedro has also
helped renovate and improve the community center facilities. Pedro
was inspired to start volunteering at the center after benefiting
from its services.
Shristi Sharma, 16, of
Fairfield, Iowa, a junior
at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, leads two "Girls
Who Code" clubs in her community, which teach computer programming
to girls in grades 3-12; she has also established a free online
program to teach similar skills to kids in India. To run her clubs, which have benefitted
more than 50 students so far, Shristi ran promotional campaigns,
secured grant funding and regularly develops lessons tailored to
participants' interests.
Kathryn Wittrock, 16, of
Urbandale, Iowa, a senior at
Valley High School, created and runs "Recycling Instruments for
Needy Kids (RINKS)," a nonprofit through which she has collected
and redistributed more than 30 musical instruments to kids in her
community. Kathryn has partnered with several local organizations
and more than 50 band directors to solicit donations and identify
students who can benefit from her initiative, and plans to continue
this program when she goes to college.
"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
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iowas-top-youth-volunteers-of-2020-selected-by-national-program-300996003.html
SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.