CARSON CITY, Nev., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Irene Yoo, 15
and Abigail Panariso, 13, both of
Las Vegas, today were named
Nevada'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, Irene and Abigail 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 Nevada's top youth
volunteers of 2020:
High School State Honoree: Irene Yoo
Nominated by Ed W. Clark
High School
Irene, a sophomore at Ed W. Clark High School,
formed a youth orchestra in the winter of 2019 that conducts
recitals at senior care facilities and children's hospitals in her
community. Irene began playing the viola when she was 11 years old
and has since performed in several youth orchestras, including the
Korean Youth Orchestra, which sometimes held concerts at senior
centers. "Our audience always loved our music, and after each
performance we spent time chatting with the seniors," said Irene.
She really enjoyed interacting with older people, she said, but the
problem was that many of her musician friends weren't Korean, so
they weren't eligible to join. Irene envisioned a group of young
musicians coming together based on ability and the love of music,
without regard to nationality. So she founded a youth group she
called "Las Vegas Arts, Music & Education."
Irene began by recruiting members by distributing fliers to
young orchestra players and posting ads on Facebook and other
social media sites. She asked her school piano teacher to serve as
conductor, found inexpensive space for rehearsals, and contacted
several senior care centers to see if they wanted an orchestra to
perform at their facilities. Her group now plays at both senior
centers and children's hospitals, usually playing six pieces in a
40-minute concert. To cover her orchestra's expenses, Irene
organized a "slime" festival and conducts classes to teach others
how to make the gooey, sticky substance that kids love to mold and
stretch (her Instagram page on slime has more than 180,000
followers). "I know our performances make a difference in the lives
of patients in children's hospitals and senior centers," said
Irene. "We bring happiness to many, and get so much in return."
Middle Level State Honoree: Abigail Panariso
Nominated by Girl
Scouts of Southern
Nevada
Abigail, an eighth-grader at Thurman White Middle School,
donated more than $1,300 last year to
buy eight new wheelchairs for veterans traveling on free "honor
flights" to Washington, D.C.,
organized a letter-writing campaign that produced more than 500
letters thanking them for their service, and recruited hundreds of
people to welcome them back home after their trip. When Abigail's
grandfather returned home from serving in Vietnam, he did not receive the warm welcome
that greeted previous generations of soldiers. "It was the
opposite," said Abigail. "This inspired me and I knew I had to do
something to show our veterans how we haven't forgotten and that
they are very much respected and appreciated."
As a volunteer for Honor Flight of Southern Nevada for four years, Abigail had
noticed how the wheelchairs used for transporting elderly veterans
in the nation's capital were breaking and were very heavy. So with
$1,250 she had earned from selling
Girl Scout cookies, along with donations from friends, she
purchased eight lightweight all-terrain wheelchairs. Then she asked
teachers at her school for help in getting students to write
appreciation letters for the veterans. The most difficult part of
her project, Abigail said, was rounding up people to be at the
airport when the veterans' plane landed. Swallowing her fear of
public speaking, she made appeals at her school and church, at Boy
and Girl Scout gatherings, and at a local congresswoman's town hall
meeting. When the day of the return flight arrived, the veterans
disembarked to the cheers and applause of hundreds.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Nevada
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze
medallion.
These are Nevada's
Distinguished Finalists for 2020:
Alyssa Casa, 17, of Las Vegas, Nevada, a senior at Casa
Academy of Technology, completed a community service project called
"Fashion And Hope," through which she made fashionable hospital
gowns for children with critical illnesses; her efforts included
researching gown requirements, soliciting material donations,
making the gowns and filming a tutorial so others could contribute.
Alyssa also participated in a sea turtle rescue mission and
conservation trip in Costa Rica
through Girl Scouts.
Erin Keene, 18, of
Henderson, Nevada, a member of
the Girls Scouts of Southern
Nevada and a senior at Ed W. Clark High School, wrote a
speech and debate handbook called "Speak UP," outlining rules for
individual events, video examples, tips for success and other
helpful information for new competitors and programs; she then
distributed physical and digital copies to debate programs in her
community. Erin was inspired to start this project to provide
information and resources to students in schools without robust
debate programs.
Payten Lewis, 18, of
Minden, Nevada, a senior at
Douglas High School, has volunteered more than 100 hours of her
time to benefit her community's suicide prevention network; along
with making signs for the organization's annual walk, she recruited
volunteers and participants and helped host their "Gotta Dance" fundraising event. Payten was first
inspired to start volunteering her time toward this cause by her
grandmother, who is the director of their local suicide prevention
network.
Jordyn Lucas, 12, of
Las Vegas, Nevada, a
sixth-grader at Lied Middle School, ran two virtual food drives in
her community, collecting online donations to benefit local food
bank Three Square; she raised more than $17,000 to help provide more than 50,000 meals.
Jordyn completed both of her food drives over her school's winter
and summer breaks in order to provide extra support to students who
benefit from free or reduced lunch programs.
"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/nevadas-top-youth-volunteers-of-2020-selected-by-national-program-300996016.html
SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.