Reagan Norwood, 17, of Biloxi and Jonah Holland, 14, of Belmont today
were named Mississippi'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. Reagan was nominated
by Biloxi High School in Biloxi, and Jonah was nominated by Tishomingo
County 4-H in Iuka. 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).
Reagan, a junior at Biloxi High School, has collected more than 500
pairs of shoes and socks for homeless people over the past four years
through her project, “S.O.S. (Shoes or Socks) for the Homeless.” Reagan
first became aware of the problem of homelessness by listening to
stories her grandfather told about working at a shelter in Washington,
D.C. Then, one Christmas, Reagan’s family took toys to a local mission.
“We were allowed to drop off the items, but were not allowed in because
my sister and I were minors,” said Reagan. She wondered how children and
teens could get involved, and found the answer when a family friend
mentioned that there was a real need for shoes and socks at homeless
shelters.
In eighth grade, Reagan launched her first drive to collect shoes and
socks at her school. Since then, she has held drives at other junior
high schools, elementary schools, her high school and a local military
base. She created a logo for S.O.S. and a Facebook page to acquaint
people with homelessness and publicize her mission. She monitors
newsletters and updates from agencies that work with the homeless and
passes along information about the current needs of the homeless in her
community and state, and ways to help. “S.O.S. is not a program that
will save the world,” said Reagan, “but by going through our closets and
donating shoes, we can truly make a difference in someone’s life.”
Jonah, a home-schooled eighth-grader, led his 4-H club in raising money
to purchase reusable shopping bags that local merchants can use to cut
down on the number of plastic bags that end up in landfills. Jonah’s 4-H
club had been looking for ways to implement a community-wide recycling
program, but because his town is not near a recycling center, a
cost-effective solution proved elusive. “It was very discouraging and
would have been easy to simply forget about it,” said Jonah. But he
wouldn’t let the idea drop. Jonah continued to do research online and
joined several forums where people exchange ideas. “One day while
shopping, it hit me that so many merchants offer reusable shopping
bags,” Jonah said. He wondered, why couldn’t the stores in his community
do the same thing?
Jonah presented a plan to the city council that could reduce plastic bag
use and promote recycling awareness at no cost to the city. With the
town’s endorsement, Jonah and fellow 4-Hers put up a “road block” to ask
drivers to donate their change to the cause, and in three hours they
raised more than $400. The group then ordered reusable shopping bags in
the local school colors and distributed them to local merchants, who
sell them to customers for $2 apiece. Not only is the project expected
to save merchants money and reduce plastic bag waste, but the $1 profit
on each bag sold will be donated to benefit wounded servicemen, said
Jonah.
As State Honorees, Reagan and Jonah 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 four other Mississippi students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Mississippi's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Cara Crawford, 18, of Brandon, Miss., a senior at Jackson
Preparatory School, co-sponsored a 5K race shortly after her grandfather
was diagnosed with cancer, and raised nearly $13,000 for cancer research
at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Cara, who recruited
more than 300 participants and coordinated sponsorships and marketing,
developed the project with her friend whose father also received a
cancer diagnosis.
Nicholas Myers, 17, of Gulfport, Miss., a senior at Gulfport High
School, co-founded “KickItForward,” a program that has assembled and
delivered more than 100 gift baskets for young patients undergoing
chemotherapy at Children’s Hospital. Nicholas, who wanted to help the
kids he met while being treated for leukemia, held drives to collect
blankets, Christmas toys, Easter baskets and Halloween baskets.
Anne-Marie Prochaska, 17, of Senatobia, Miss., a member of the
Northwest Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross and a junior at
Faith Heritage Academy, raised more than $4,500 by hosting a charity 5K
race to support the HOPE (Helping Other People in Emergency) Ministry.
Anne-Marie, who had volunteered for the organization for several years,
created and coordinated the race to support the organization, which
provides food, clothing and utility bill assistance to people in
emergency situations.
Katelyn Roberts, 18, of Brookhaven, Miss., a senior at West
Lincoln Attendance Center, is a passionate community volunteer who has
given her time over the years to organizations including a hospital and
a local theater. Katelyn, inspired by her compassionate aunt, has
volunteered at the King’s Daughters’ Medical Center, served as stage
manager for the Brookhaven Little Theatre, volunteered with the
Brookhaven Animal Rescue League, raised money for the Ronald McDonald
House and helped collect toys for Toys for Tots.
“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