Julia Murphy, 17, of Newark and Natalie Onesi, 14, of Wilmington today
were named Delaware's top two youth volunteers of 2014 by The Prudential
Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people
for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Julia was nominated by Newark High
School in Newark, and Natalie was nominated by Ursuline Academy in
Wilmington. 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).
Julia, a junior at Newark High School, played an instrumental role in
running a statewide sleeping bag drive that provided bags to more than
1,000 homeless children in Delaware. Julia became involved after
learning that there are more than 5,000 children in her state who live
in shelters, cars or abandoned buildings. “Before I got involved in this
project, I thought of homelessness as an adult statistic,” said Julia.
“There is often not much children can do about being homeless. I wanted
them to have something of their own that would also keep them warm.”
Julia and a group of students at Newark High joined with the Governor’s
Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens to recruit schools and
businesses across the state to serve as collection points where
residents could drop off new or gently-used sleeping bags. To get the
word out to potential donors, Julia and her team created flyers, issued
press releases, arranged a press conference and gave interviews to the
news media. Julia met with politicians and business leaders throughout
Delaware to garner support, and got a big boost when Walmart made a
donation and agreed to provide sleeping bags at wholesale prices. By the
end of the drive, volunteers had collected over 1,000 sleeping bags,
which were distributed through homeless liaisons across Delaware. Julia
hopes to collect even more sleeping bags in future drives, for there is
still much work to be done, she said. “This problem is large and will
take years and the support of the entire state.”
Natalie, an eighth-grader at Ursuline Academy, devotes a week every
summer to repairing homes for people with injuries or disabilities who
otherwise would have to live with leaking roofs or peeling paint.
Natalie said she is inspired to volunteer by her church, which teaches
its members to “help those who cannot help themselves.” Two years ago, a
family friend suggested that Natalie and her brother join a religious
retreat that draws 400 students from across the nation to a designated
city to work on up to 60 homes whose owners cannot afford to hire
workers to make repairs.
During the summer, Natalie gets up at 6 a.m. during her retreat week and
heads off to work with other students on their assigned repairs. She
then spends the day painting, roofing, building rails, installing siding
– whatever repairs are needed. An important part of the program besides
the repairs is building a relationship with the people she is helping.
At the end of the week, Natalie feels as though she’s made a difference
in people’s lives. “I remember leaving the house I was working on for
the last time,” she said. As she and her coworkers drove away, the
homeowner flashed a wide smile. “I saw him kiss his wife on the head and
turn around to stare at his ‘new’ house. Then I saw him waving and
crying.”
As State Honorees, Julia and Natalie 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 two other Delaware students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Delaware's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Sarah Bell, 18, of Seaford, Del., a member of the Sussex County
4-H and a senior at Sussex Technical High School, created “Read to
Succeed Delaware!,” a two-part program to help fight illiteracy
throughout the state. Sarah, who earned her Girl Scout Gold and 4-H
Diamond awards for this project, recruited a team of volunteers to help
create 15 literacy centers with free reading resources; she also wrote
pamphlets in Spanish and distributed them at the local hospital to
parents of newborns.
Marius Sander, 16, of Wyoming, Del., a junior at St. Thomas More
Academy, has raised $4,400 for Mom’s House, an organization that
provides free childcare to low-income single parents pursuing an
education, by hosting violin concerts. Marius, who started his
fundraising concerts in 2010, also plays violin and saxophone for
nursing homes, hospitals and hospice centers.
“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