Samantha Caraway, 18, of Kirksville and Sarah Eisenman, 13, of St. Louis
today were named Missouri'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. Samantha was
nominated by Kirksville High School in Kirksville, and Sarah was
nominated by Ladue Middle School in St. Louis. 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).
Samantha, a senior at Kirksville High School, has been a fundraiser and
goodwill ambassador for the Children’s Miracle Network for the past four
years, as well as a regional Miss Missouri Outstanding Teen who has
worked to promote positive behaviors among young people. Samantha became
involved with the Children’s Miracle Network after the organization
provided significant medical care to her brother and a close friend.
Grateful for that care, Samantha vowed to raise as much money as
possible for the network. She partnered with Truman State University’s
fraternities and sororities to hold a fundraiser that collected $5,000,
sponsored “Cheer for a Miracle” camps, and organized father-daughter and
mother-son events.
As a Miss Missouri Outstanding Teen, Samantha tries to help young people
avoid negative experiences such as depression, substance abuse and
victimization by bullies. To do that, she has created several public
service announcements and a short documentary, hosted four annual
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day activities, and served as a
spokeperson for Mark Twain Behavioral Health and the Northeast Missouri
Suicide Prevention Initiative. “The overall joy and the ability to
instill hope is the reason that I use my gifts to give back to children
in need and make a positive impact on my community,” said Samantha.
Sarah, an eighth-grader at Ladue Middle School, provided more than 1,000
donated books and created a reading room for a lodging facility that
provides accommodations and support to people who travel to St. Louis
for medical treatment. During a visit to HavenHouse, Sarah noticed there
were very few books for children or adults to read during their stays.
“I love reading, and wanted to help others who might not have access to
good books,” she said.
Her solution was to launch a book drive at her school, which brought in
more than 1,000 books. She sorted all of the books by age level, labeled
them, and then recruited friends and family members to help set up
several reading areas at HavenHouse. Books for babies and toddlers were
placed in a new Dr. Seuss-themed reading room that Sarah designed and
decorated. Nonfiction books were delivered to the facility’s
computer/reference room, three large bookshelves were filled in an
existing library, and extra books were placed in a common living room
area. To celebrate the completion of her project, Sarah held a Dr. Seuss
pajama party featuring crafts, games and readings from Dr. Seuss books.
“Now HavenHouse guests of all ages have some good books to read,” she
said.
As State Honorees, Samantha and Sarah 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 six other Missouri students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Missouri's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Sarah Casteel, 17, of Clayton, Mo., a senior at Clayton High
School, is currently the director of Saint Louis Food Rescue, a
teen-based service organization that collects leftover food from food
establishments and delivers it to soup kitchens and other organizations
that feed the hungry. Sarah is responsible for volunteer recruitment,
food delivery scheduling and coordinating all logistics with donors and
food pantries.
August Clark, 18, of Ballwin, Mo., a senior at Marquette High
School, has helped to raise $23,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society over the past three years by participating in the organization’s
Light the Night charity walk. August, who founded “Team Dude” for the
event in honor of his uncle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, recruited 30
walkers, made and sold T-shirts, created a website and made “Team Dude”
an official school club.
Arthur Hale, 18, of Forsyth, Mo., a senior at Forsyth High
School, founded “Art to the Third” in 2012, a free program for children
interested in music, theater, dance and acting through the Boys & Girls
Club. Arthur, who founded the program to share his passion for the
theater, manages the program, creates lesson plans and organizes
performances.
Joseph Reyes, 18, of Pottersville, Mo., a senior at Dora High
School, founded “Snackpack Backpacks,” a program that provides food for
students on subsidized lunch to eat during the weekends. Joseph, who had
experienced food insecurity himself, raised nearly $9,000 in sponsorship
dollars and recruited a team of volunteers to help pack and deliver the
weekend backpacks for 134 children at a local elementary school.
Ryan Schweitzer, 18, of Hillsboro, Mo., a senior at Hillsboro
Senior High School, founded “Adopt a Grandfriend,” a program that
matches young people with residents at the local nursing home. Ryan and
his young volunteers spend countless hours each week playing games,
telling stories, lending an ear and building friendships with their
grandfriends.
Maryn White, 13, of Lee's Summit, Mo., a seventh-grader at Summit
Lakes Middle School, has raised nearly $10,000 to support the Crohn’s
and Colitis Foundation by coordinating the team “Maryn’s Magnificent
Marchers” to walk in its charity event. Maryn, who was diagnosed with
ulcerative colitis at the age of 10 and was named an “Honored Hero” for
the Kansas City Take Steps Walk in 2013, is currently working with the
foundation to advocate for awareness, funding and affordable healthcare
coverage.
“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