Sydney Kamen, 17, and Maxine Bailey, 13, today were named the District
of Columbia'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. Sydney was nominated by Georgetown Day
School, and Maxine was nominated by Holy Trinity School. 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).
Sydney, a junior at Georgetown Day School, is developing a nonprofit
initiative that will encourage luxury hotels in Southeast Asia to donate
discarded bars of soap for recycling and distribution to people living
in poverty. Sydney has been active in community service through her
school and synagogue for many years, and during that time has acquired a
strong interest in health and poverty issues. She recently has been
volunteering weekly with an organization that educates inner-city youth
about the prevention of HIV and AIDS.
For the past two summers, Sydney also has traveled to Thailand, Laos and
Myanmar to volunteer in remote villages and learn about the needs and
concerns of the impoverished people living there. She discovered that a
major problem is the lack of sanitation and the resulting ease with
which diseases can spread. To address this issue, Sydney is working on
what she calls her “SOAP (So Others Are Protected) Initiative.” It
involves the collection of used, discarded soap from luxury hotels in
Southeast Asia so that it can be cleaned, melted and reshaped into new
bars of soap for people in villages and refugee camps who cannot afford
it. It also involves the development of a volunteer network to teach
villagers “how improved cleanliness can reduce illness and infections in
places where water is not clean or safe,” said Sydney.
Maxine, an eighth-grader at Holy Trinity School, works with children at
a local daycare facility and raises money for a variety of causes
through a nonprofit organization that she set up with a friend. Maxine
has participated in many projects to aid the homeless in her community
through her school, parish and Girl Scout organization. In 2009, she
wanted to branch out on her own, so Maxine and her best friend, with
help from their parents, formed a nonprofit called the “Fox Buddies
Club” to raise money for Red Cross projects.
In one of their most successful endeavors, Sydney and fellow volunteers
raised more than $2,000 for Red Cross earthquake relief efforts in Haiti
by throwing a five-course dinner party for donors. For the past couple
of years, Maxine also has been volunteering at a Georgetown daycare
center, where she teaches 4-year-olds basic reading, math and drawing
skills. “It warms my heart to help people,” she said. “I know I am a
part of the world and I am on the quest to improve it!”
As State Honorees, Sydney and Maxine each will receive $1,000, an
engraved silver medallion and an invitation to join the top two honorees
from every state in the U.S. for four days of national recognition
events in Washington, D.C. During the trip, 10 students will be named
America’s top youth volunteers of 2014.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other District of Columbia
students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are the District of Columbia's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Janae Morgan, 18, a senior at Washington Mathematics Science
Technology Public Charter High School, is actively involved in her
community, volunteering with her church’s community service programs and
as a local tutor. She also has honored our country’s soldiers as a
member of the Montford Point Young Marines, for which she now serves as
corporal and team leader.
Tania Perez, 17, a senior at Capital City Public Charter School,
participates in a number of volunteer programs to benefit the Latino
community, including serving as an assistant tennis coach for the Pancho
Gonzalez Tennis Academy. Tania also helps the police department
coordinate service projects and volunteers with the mayor’s office on
the Hispanic Heritage Month Festival.
“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