Top youth volunteers in each state selected in 18th
annual national awards program
Washington--(business wire)--america’s 102 most outstanding youth volunteers – two from each state and the district of columbia – were named state honorees today by the prudential spirit of community awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for exemplary acts of volunteerism. the awards program, now in its 18th year, is conducted by prudential financial, inc. in partnership with the national association of secondary school principals (nassp). each of the 102 state honorees will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in early may to washington, d.c. for four days of national recognition events. during the trip, ten of them will be named america’s top youth volunteers for 2013. in addition to the state honorees, the program’s judges recognized 234 students nationwide as distinguished finalists for their impressive community service activities. each will receive an engraved bronze medallion. more than 400 other applicants were awarded certificates of excellence for their volunteer work. (see attached list of state honorees and distinguished finalists.) many of this year’s state honorees and distinguished finalists were recognized for working to combat bullying, raise money for cancer research and make more activities accessible to people with disabilities. others were honored for mentoring other young people and supporting u.s. veterans and troops. a great deal of energy was also devoted to addressing critical needs abroad; many honorees volunteered to help provide impoverished and disaster-stricken communities overseas with food, clothes, shoes, education and comfort. learn about the volunteer activities of each state honoree and distinguished finalist at http://spirit.prudential.com. “prudential is proud to honor these students for making meaningful contributions to their communities,” said prudential chairman and ceo john strangfeld. “we hope that shining a spotlight on their initiative, creativity and compassion inspires others to consider how they, too, can make a difference.” “through their volunteer service, each of these young people has made his or her mark on at least one person, school or community,” said joann bartoletti, executive director of nassp. “when you consider the collective impact of each of these individual acts, it’s clear that young people can be a major force for good.” 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 handson network affiliates, were eligible to select a student or member for a local prudential spirit of community award. nearly 5,000 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 6, 10 of the state honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named america’s top youth volunteers of 2013. these national honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from the prudential foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice. since the program began in 1995, more than 100,000 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 and india. 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 on behalf of president barack obama. about nassp nassp (national association of secondary school principals) is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the united states and more than 36 countries around the world. the association provides research-based professional development and resources, networking, and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance. reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development as well, nassp administers the national honor society™, national junior honor society®, national elementary honor society®, and national association of student councils®. for more information about nassp, located in reston, va, visit 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 http://www.news.prudential.com/. editors: for full-color pictures of the spirit of community awards program logo and medallions, click here: http://bit.ly/xi4ofw the prudential spirit of community awards 2013 state honorees and distinguished finalists alabama state honorees: kristen ashley, 17, hewitt-trussville high school, trussville distinguished finalists: alaska state honorees: distinguished finalists: arizona state honorees: distinguished finalists: arkansas state honorees: distinguished finalists: california state honorees: distinguished finalists: colorado state honorees: distinguished finalists: connecticut state honorees: distinguished finalists: delaware state honorees: distinguished finalists: district of columbia state honorees: distinguished finalists: florida state honorees: distinguished finalists: georgia state honorees: distinguished finalists: hawaii state honorees: distinguished finalists: idaho state honorees: distinguished finalists: illinois state honorees: distinguished finalists: indiana state honorees: distinguished finalists: iowa state honorees: distinguished finalists: kansas state honorees: distinguished finalists: kentucky state honorees: distinguished finalists: louisiana state honorees: distinguished finalists: maine state honorees: distinguished finalists: maryland state honorees: distinguished finalists: massachusetts state honorees: distinguished finalists: michigan state honorees: distinguished finalists: minnesota state honorees: distinguished finalists: mississippi state honorees: distinguished finalists: missouri state honorees: distinguished finalists: montana state honorees: distinguished finalists: nebraska state honorees: distinguished finalists: nevada state honorees: distinguished finalists: new hampshire state honorees: distinguished finalists: new jersey state honorees: distinguished finalists: new mexico state honorees: distinguished finalists: new york state honorees: distinguished finalists: north carolina state honorees: distinguished finalists: north dakota state honorees: distinguished finalists: ohio state honorees: distinguished finalists: oklahoma state honorees: distinguished finalists: oregon state honorees: distinguished finalists: pennsylvania state honorees: distinguished finalists: rhode island state honorees: distinguished finalists: south carolina state honorees: distinguished finalists: south dakota state honorees: distinguished finalists: tennessee state honorees: distinguished finalists: texas state honorees: distinguished finalists: utah state honorees: distinguished finalists: vermont state honorees: distinguished finalists: virginia state honorees: distinguished finalists: washington state honorees: distinguished finalists: west virginia state honorees: distinguished finalists: wisconsin state honorees: distinguished finalists: wyoming state honorees: distinguished finalists: for more information on prudential spirit of community awards state honorees and distinguished finalists, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.
