Zachary Bonner, 16, of Riverview and Michael Stolzenberg, 14, of Weston
today were named Florida'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. Zachary was nominated
by Hillsborough Education Foundation in Tampa, and Michael was nominated
by Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale. 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).
Zachary, a sophomore at Florida Virtual Academy, is a tireless advocate
for homeless children who has directly benefited more than 20,000 young
people through his “Little Red Wagon Foundation,” and drawn attention to
the plight of homeless kids through long-distance walks and other
activities. Zachary got his first taste of community service when
Hurricane Charley struck Florida in 2004, when he was 6 years old. He
collected 27 truckloads of food and water for victims over a four-month
period. “At the end, my mom said I was extremely sad that I had no one
else to help,” said Zachary. But just months later, a chance came to
raise money for children affected by a random shooting. That’s when
Zachary discovered a passion for helping homeless youth.
Since then, the foundation Zachary created has recruited a large network
of volunteers including school groups, scout troops and youth groups, to
help him pursue his mission. They’ve distributed 12,000 backpacks
stuffed with basic supplies to homeless youth, for example, and 63
pallets of supplies to schools in low-income areas. Zachary and his
family also have raised money and awareness by walking across Florida,
the Southeast, and the entire country. His group also sponsors an event
that simulates what it’s like to be homeless for 24 hours and engages
the participants in leadership activities aimed at getting them involved
in community service activities that fit their interests. Zachary said,
“I tell people all the time that the best thing you can do to have a
happy, meaningful life is to get out and volunteer. Someone always has
bigger problems than you. When you see that, it makes your problems seem
so small in comparison.”
Michael, an eighth-grader at Pine Crest School, has raised more than
$225,000 to help rebuild the lives of people who lost limbs when
terrorists detonated two bombs during the 2013 Boston Marathon. Michael
knows what it’s like to lose vital parts of his body. Five years ago, a
bacterial infection made it necessary for doctors to amputate his hands
and feet in order to save his life. After watching news of the Boston
bombings on TV, he thought about all the support he’d received from his
community during his recovery, and told his older brothers he wanted to
offer that same kind of support to the bombing victims. “I wanted them
to know that help is on the way and they will be OK,” said Michael. “I
wanted them to know that if I could get my life back, they could, too.”
With help from his brothers, Michael started “Mikey’s Run,” a campaign
to raise money for the bombing victims by soliciting pledges to sponsor
his oldest brother’s participation in the 2014 Boston Marathon. The boys
created a website and social media accounts to publicize their cause.
Michael also designed a T-shirt that’s sold on the website. To raise
more money, Michael organized a “fun run” at his school that attracted
350 people, and solicited sponsors from the local business community. It
wasn’t long before the national media learned what Michael was doing and
publicized his story, which brought in more money, including a $100,000
donation from Oprah Winfrey. Last summer, Michael was invited to attend
an amputee convention to meet some of the Boston Marathon victims. “They
thanked me for what I was doing,” said Michael. “I told them they didn’t
have to thank me, and that one day they will pay it forward, too.”
As State Honorees, Zachary and Michael 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 eight other Florida students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Florida's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Marc Berson, 18, of Tampa, Fla., a senior at Freedom High School,
created “April Pools’ Day,” a festival in his community to promote
drowning prevention techniques for kids in a state where drowning is the
leading cause of death for young children. Marc, who found solace as a
swimmer after many years of surgeries to repair a club foot, received a
$5,000 grant to run this special event, recruited and supervised a group
of young volunteers, and developed various elements of the program
including survival swimming demonstrations and stroke techniques.
Celeste Felix, 15, of Intercession, Fla., a sophomore at
Poinciana High School, is a regular volunteer at the Central Florida
Bread Basket, where she has been stocking shelves, assisting clients and
lending a hand for more than a year. Celeste, who received much-needed
assistance from the organization when her family struggled through a
rough time, wanted to give back to an organization that made a
difference in her life.
Keli Hodges, 17, of Jupiter, Fla., a senior at Alexander W.
Dreyfoos School of the Arts, is the founder and president of “Students
Supporting Other Students (SSOS),” a club that has raised more than
$25,000 in money and in-kind donations to support students in need.
Keli, who chose to give back after receiving support from others during
her recovery from a car accident, works directly with guidance
counselors to identify children in need and raises the money by
coordinating monthly garage sales.
N'Jhari Jackson, 11, of Tampa, Fla., a sixth-grader at The
Paideia School of Tampa Bay, has raised more than $4,200 and collected
and distributed more than 2,700 stuffed pajama buddies to hospitalized
children through “Pajama Buddy Voyage,” a project he created in 2010.
N’Jhari, inspired by a pajama buddy given to him when he underwent a
surgical procedure, created the program to help children whose hospital
stays are long and who are isolated from others due to their illnesses.
Eve Moll, 15, of Davie, Fla., a sophomore at St. Thomas Aquinas
High School, has raised more than $40,000 to benefit numerous charitable
organizations by designing custom illustrations and selling them in the
form of greeting cards. Eve, an accomplished artist, first created
“ArtbyEve” to benefit her close friend who was battling leukemia.
Thomas Ponce, 13, of Casselberry, Fla., a seventh-grader at South
Seminole Middle School, created a website called “Lobby for Animals” to
help others advocate for animal rights by learning how to influence and
improve legislation. Thomas, who has learned about lobbying from an
animal rights attorney and a college lobbying class, also founded an
animal rights group at his school with 34 student members.
Leia Schwartz, 17, of Miami, Fla., a senior at Coral Reef Senior
High School, founded “Healing Harmonies,” an organization that connects
more than 200 local music students with opportunities to perform at
nursing homes and hospitals. Leia, who suffered a near-fatal collapsed
lung when she was 6 years old, created the program because music has
given her an outlet in her own recovery and a way to inspire others with
health problems.
Randall Slapikas, 14, of Coral Springs, Fla., a member of HandsOn
Broward and a freshman at Coral Springs High School, founded “Kids of
Love,” an organization that has raised more than $65,000 through
numerous projects and events to support charities that work with
children with special needs or debilitating illnesses. Randall has
expanded his organization to include “Kids of Love” clubs in multiple
schools throughout Broward County.
“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