Rachel Deeds, 16, of Fayetteville and Riley Strube, 10, of North Little
Rock today were named Arkansas' top two youth volunteers of 2014 by The
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring
young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Rachel was nominated
by Haas Hall Academy in Fayetteville, and Riley was nominated by Cabot
Middle School South in Cabot. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards,
now in its 19th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in
partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals
(NASSP).
Rachel, a junior at Haas Hall Academy, founded a recycling program that
“rescues” used school supplies from being thrown away at the end of the
school year, then distributes them to students in need at more than 20
schools in three states. Rachel remembers how shocked she was five years
ago when she was assisting a teacher in a first-grade classroom and
discovered that many students had only one or two crayons to draw
pictures. “It broke my heart to learn that this shortage of supplies did
not stop with crayons, and that many students in our country are
attending school without the basic supplies needed to learn,” she said.
Rachel knew that students at her school threw away still-usable supplies
at the end of each year, and decided to save those items for kids whose
families could not afford new school supplies. With support from her
principal, teachers and a few friends, she set up collection boxes, made
posters, and produced a TV commercial to encourage fellow students to
recycle their used notebooks, binders and other supplies. Rachel worked
with her friends over the summer in her family’s garage to sort and
clean what they collected, and delivered 30 large boxes of supplies to
the elementary school she had visited earlier. Since then, Rachel’s
“Second Chance Supplies” program has expanded to more than 20 schools in
Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. In her area alone, it has provided over
5,000 pounds of supplies worth more than $30,000 to benefit over 2,500
students.
Riley, a fifth-grader at Cabot Middle School South, helps a young girl
with autism learn and perform routines during a weekly dance class for
children with special needs. Riley volunteered to be a “dance buddy”
four years ago when her mother’s dance studio organized a class for
children with disabilities. She quickly discovered the importance of the
class. It helps kids with disabilities including autism, Down syndrome,
spina bifida and cerebral palsy to gain confidence, improve balance,
acquire social skills and make new friends, said Riley.
Each week, Riley attends the 45-minute “I Can! Dance” class and helps
her dance student learn new steps, follow directions, communicate with
other dancers and develop the confidence to perform on stage. She also
helps other students put their shoes on, find their spots, stay in line
and take turns. To accommodate the growing number of students, Riley
recruited friends to volunteer in the class, too. “This activity has
changed the lives of so many children,” said Riley. “I think the buddies
are the ones who are impacted the most, though. I have learned that
people are all special, no matter what difference they may have.”
As State Honorees, Rachel and Riley 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 2014.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Arkansas students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Arkansas' Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Sam Harris, 17, of Greenbrier, Ark., a junior at Greenbrier High
School, received a $2,500 “Food For All” grant from The Future Farmers
of America and used it to fight hunger by teaching people in his
community how to grow their own food. Sam, who recruited other FFA
members to join him, wrote a curriculum, held workshops on container
gardening and canning, and also planted a garden to provide fresh
produce to local senior citizens and families in need.
Preston Hyatt, 10, of Holiday Island, Ark., a fifth-grader at
Eureka Springs Middle School, is an active volunteer with both his local
Rotary Club and the local chapter of Special Olympics. Preston, whose
uncle is a Special Olympics athlete, has helped at fundraising events
and personally raised more than $1,000 at the organization’s Polar
Plunge.
Kaylee Laster, 17, of Pea Ridge, Ark., a senior at Pea Ridge High
School, has collected and distributed more than 500 stuffed animals to
children in need around the world with her charitable organization,
“Share the Lovies.” Kaylee, who began the project in 2012 after a
mission trip to Uganda, has sold handmade scarves to raise money to
support her program, and has also collected gently-used stuffed animals
for the cause.
Raygan Sylvester, 17, of North Little Rock, Ark., a senior at
North Little Rock High School, launched several driver safety campaigns
in 2010 after her brother survived a terrible car crash thanks to his
seatbelt. Raygan, who found out that Arkansas ranks 46th in the U.S. in
seatbelt usage, has partnered with local law enforcement and medical
professionals, and has spoken to more than 1,000 students throughout the
state about the importance of wearing seatbelts and how to prevent
distracted driving.
“We applaud each of these young people for their exemplary volunteer
service,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. “They use
their time and talents to make a meaningful difference in their
communities, and we hope their example inspires others to do the same.”
“By going above and beyond in their volunteer service, these students
have brought positive change to communities across the country,” said
JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “Congratulations to each
and every one of them on this well-deserved honor.”
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.
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 5, 10 of the State Honorees –
five middle level and five high school students – will be named
America’s top youth volunteers of 2014. 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, India and China. 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.
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 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 connects and engages school leaders through advocacy,
research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of
all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens
school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high
quality professional learning experiences. 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
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 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
Copyright Business Wire 2014