Prudential's Kevin Byrne wins Jefferson Award for outstanding community volunteer service

Kevin Byrne, a vice president in Group Insurance at Prudential Financial, Inc. [NYSE: PRU], was recently honored for Outstanding Community Volunteer Service at the annual Jefferson Awards national ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Byrne won the award, one of the nation's top honors for community service and volunteerism, for his work with The Hoboken Shelter, a community partnership in Hoboken, N.J., that provides meals for the hungry and shelter and services for the homeless. His volunteer efforts with the organization span 13 years and he has served on its board of directors since 2008. During that time, Byrne led multiple community outreach initiatives such as food drives that helped support more than 200 local families and a holiday program that provided toys and clothing to more than 400 local children and adults. He also helped organize fundraising events to keep the shelter in operation and raised awareness among community members about homelessness at public speaking events.

“The impact I have seen on the people we serve at the shelter and the community at large has been inspiring. The country’s recent economic conditions have hit this shelter--and others like it—hard. Our public funding over the past several years has been reduced significantly, so the need for volunteerism and private donations has taken on even greater importance,” said Byrne.

“Every day, Prudential employees devote their personal time and skills to enrich the lives of others," said Robert Patience, vice president of Voluntary Benefits for Prudential Group Insurance who leads Byrne’s team. "Helping local communities thrive is part of our culture and values. I’m proud of Kevin for his outstanding volunteer service."

The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. The Jefferson Awards are presented on two levels: national and local. They began in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a "Call to Action for Volunteers" in local communities.

The Prudential Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. The Prudential Foundation focuses its grant making strategy in the areas of education, economic development and arts and civic infrastructure; and it supports community engagement efforts of Prudential employees through Matching Gifts and other programs that recognize their volunteer work.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with approximately $1.06 trillion of assets under management as of March 31, 2013, 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/