Dhivya Sridar, 16, of Novi and Lillian Diuble, 11, of Manchester today
were named Michigan'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. Dhivya was nominated by Novi High
School in Novi, and Lillian was nominated by Manchester Middle School in
Manchester. 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).
Dhivya, a junior at Novi High School, created an after-school tutoring
program that recruits fellow suburban high school students to work with
inner-city elementary school children once a week using the online video
calling service Skype. Since elementary school, Dhivya has been involved
in programs aimed at fostering a better learning environment for kids in
Detroit Public Schools. “In Detroit’s epicenter, students do not have
the same learning opportunities as their counterparts in the suburbs,”
she said. “I was saddened by the large disparity in the levels of
education standards within such short distances.”
While brainstorming for ways to make a bigger impact on this problem,
Dhivya developed the idea of a Skype tutoring program called “iTutor.”
She contacted principals at several Detroit elementary schools and
finally found one who agreed to try out her idea. She then recruited
eight high school students to help eight kids at the elementary school
with core subjects such as English and math, and secured three grants
totaling $7,000 to buy laptop computers and headsets for the kids.
Dhivya organizes weekly schedules and lessons with a teacher who
oversees the tutoring, assigns tutors, sends out weekly reminders, and
works out any technological complications that arise. So far, Dhivya
said, the children being tutored have demonstrated greater confidence,
improved test scores, and increased class participation. She is now
working to expand his program to other schools.
Lillian, a sixth-grader at Manchester Middle School, leads a team that
has raised more than $78,000 over the past four years for the Foundation
Fighting Blindness, which is devoted to developing treatments and cures
for eye diseases like the one affecting Lillian. She was born with a
rare disease that may cause her to completely lose both her hearing and
vision as she gets older. “I can hear well with my hearing aids and I
can see OK with my glasses, but that could change over time,” she said.
When Lillian found out about the foundation’s annual VisionWalk
fundraiser, she saw an opportunity to impact not only her own prospects,
but those of everyone with vision loss. “I am not a doctor or a
scientist, so I can’t personally cure people,” she said. “But I can help
by spreading the word and raising money for the cause.”
Once she decided to form a walkathon team, Lillian recruited classmates
and wrote letters to everyone she knew. With help from her family, she
created a webpage on the foundation’s website, made handouts and phone
calls, asked local businesses to place donation cans on their counters,
and contacted service organizations for assistance. As youth chairperson
for her local VisionWalk for the past three years, Lillian also makes
frequent speeches to raise awareness of eye diseases and generate
support. Over the years, hundreds of people have been part of Lillian’s
team, and her efforts have produced significant funds for the Foundation
Fighting Blindness. “Many people of all ages and races go blind every
day,” she said. “This is a really sad thing. I hope for a future full of
vision for everyone!”
As State Honorees, Dhivya and Lillian 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 Michigan students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Michigan's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Bryce Bizer, 16, of South Lyon, Mich., a junior at South Lyon
East High School, has been an avid volunteer for a number of years,
supporting the community in a variety of ways including helping with
park clean-ups and traveling to Peru to deliver school supplies to
children in need. To motivate other teenagers to volunteer, Bryce also
created a website about all he’s learned serving the community, with
resources including names of organizations that accept youth volunteers,
and projects and events in need of assistance.
Qiana Eberly, 17, of Brooklyn, Mich., a junior at Jackson
Community College/Lenawee Intermediate School District Academy, created
and coordinated the “Rockin’ Q Fest,” a charity concert event she has
hosted twice since 2012 to support several charitable organizations.
Qiana, who raised more than $1,000, is in the process of creating “The
Quest of Q Foundation” to continue her mission to use music to inspire
and heal.
Andy Hsiao, 17, of Ann Arbor, Mich., a senior at Huron High
School, raised nearly $6,000 through T-shirt sales and a benefit concert
for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Since then,
Andy has founded “Youth Impact,” a club that helps to raise money and
awareness for charitable organizations with events and projects that are
created and implemented by young people.
Haley Kowalski, 17, of Bay City, Mich., a senior at Bay City
Central High School, is the director of Bay City Players, a community
program that teaches children leadership, reading skills and acting.
Haley, who has also volunteered for the American Red Cross and the local
women’s shelter, has also helped to raise money for the Bay Arts Council
by assisting with the group’s annual haunted house.
Alexis Loehfelm, 13, of Ada, Mich., a seventh-grader at Northern
Hills Middle School, co-founded a club with two of her friends that
collected more than 1,000 aluminum cans to purchase more than 100 new
books for students in need. Since then, Alexis has coordinated two
school supply drives and donated 300 custom-decorated boxes filled with
school supplies for students who need them.
Alyssa Modrich, 17, of Fort Gratiot, Mich., a member of the St.
Clair County 4-H and a senior at Port Huron Northern High School,
created “4-H Project EGGcellence,” and helped to donate 100
dozen-cartons of eggs to local soup kitchens and food pantries. Alyssa,
who lives on a farm where hens were exceptionally productive, donated
the extra eggs and then promoted the program to other local farmers to
encourage them to do the same.
Molly Pribble, 13, of Ann Arbor, Mich., a member of the
Washtenaw-Lenawee Chapter of the American Red Cross and an eighth-grader
at Emerson School, has raised $33,000 to support the American Red Cross
by participating in the organization’s annual “Swim-A-Cross” event.
Molly, who began swimming in the charity event when she was 8 years old,
has also served as the event spokesperson in prior years.
Rachel Stamler-Jonas, 17, of Royal Oak, Mich., a senior at The
Roeper School, is a volunteer development and marketing intern for the
Detroit Institute for Children. Rachel, who began this position in the
summer of 2013, helps maintain the donor database, has written and
designed pamphlets and media packets, and has helped to update the
organization’s website.
“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