Kayla Kawamura, 17, of Mililani and Hannah Button, 14, of Waialua today
were named Hawaii'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. Kayla was nominated by Hanalani
Schools in Mililani, and Hannah was nominated by Trinity Lutheran School
in Wahiawa. 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).
Kayla, a senior at Hanalani Schools, launched a service project with a
friend, called “The Greatest Gift,” to assemble Christmas goody bags for
children at a local homeless shelter and raise money to aid people in
third-world countries. A devout Christian, Kayla was searching for a way
to not only provide material assistance to those who suffer, but also to
share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Our ultimate purpose is to
provide spiritual healing or salvation for families,” Kayla explained.
To begin their project, Kayla asked family and friends to donate money
to buy farm animals and food for impoverished families around the world
through World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization. She then
made arrangements to provide goody bags for children at a local homeless
shelter. Kayla and her partner hung posters to advertise the project at
their school and used donations to purchase school supplies, snacks,
small toys, toiletries and books for the bags. They distributed 100
goody bags on Black Friday as a way to provide early Christmas gifts for
families at the shelter, along with a gospel note reminding the
recipients of God’s love for them. The two are already collecting items
for next year’s Christmas goody bag distribution and hope to expand to
more shelters. They are also planning a bake sale to raise money for
World Vision. “This experience has shown me that I have a desire to help
others, and I now want to pursue a career where I can dedicate my life
to assisting the less fortunate,” said Kayla.
Hannah, an eighth-grader at Trinity Lutheran School, initiated a project
to provide holiday gifts to sick and injured soldiers and their
families, and also helped raise money for an event that honored all U.S.
service members killed in combat since 2001. Hannah helped start a
foundation with her older brother and sister in 2007 after their mother
was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in the years since has taken part
in numerous activities benefiting children and families in need. But
last year, after witnessing a friend’s tearful reunion with her father
upon his return from deployment, Hannah decided to start a project of
her own: “Operation Holiday Heroes.”
She recruited classmates, friends and neighbors to donate Christmas
gifts for sick and injured soldiers, veterans and their families staying
at Tripler Medical Center’s Fisher House. Hannah also raised money
through a website and neighborhood events, and ended up delivering 50
bags of gifts and household supplies to make Christmas a little brighter
for military families. It felt so good, said Hannah, that she now brings
gifts to Fisher House on Valentine’s Day and the Fourth of July, as
well. She also helped raise money to supply American flags, drinking
water and portable toilets for Fisher House’s “remembrance run” last
fall, held to commemorate the 6,728 Americans killed in action since
Sept. 11, 2001.
As State Honorees, Kayla and Hannah 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 Hawaii students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Hawaii's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Gary Calzada, 18, of Honolulu, Hawaii, a member of the Oahu
County 4-H and a senior at Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High
School, coordinates “Hawaii Needs Loving,” a youth-led organization at
his school that promotes recycling throughout the state. Since he began
in 2012, Gary’s group has spread the recycling message throughout Hawaii
while raising funds to support school trips, programs and activities.
Kimberly Uehisa, 16, of Honolulu, Hawaii, a junior at Island
Pacific Academy, founded a service club at her school in connection with
the Travis Manion Foundation, a group honoring the memory of a heroic
soldier. Kimberly, who is also a member of her school’s Interact service
club and a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, founded the group
last year and is planning a variety of care drives and park clean-ups.
“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