Landrey Fulmer, 17, and Siena Prenger, 13, both of Las Vegas, today were
named Nevada'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. Landrey was nominated by Desert Oasis
High School in Las Vegas, and Siena was nominated by St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton Catholic School in Las Vegas. 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).
Landrey, a senior at Desert Oasis High School, has spent more than 1,000
volunteer hours working on more than 30 philanthropic activities since
seventh grade through a local chapter of the National Charity League, an
organization that encourages mothers and daughters to volunteer
together. Landrey has held a variety of leadership positions with the
chapter, and has helped with a wide range of projects benefiting
individuals with cancer, people with disabilities and others in need.
For the past six years, one of Landrey’s favorite activities has been a
weeklong back-to-school event in August that provides new clothes and
school supplies to children who need them. After donations are
collected, she works from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day with her mother and
sister sorting clothing and supplies, stuffing them into 1,200
backpacks, training other volunteers, supervising the work flow and
distributing the products to the kids. “The true magic is in the faces
of the children on distribution day,” said Landrey. The effort “sends
them to school feeling really good about themselves and hoping for a
great start to the new school year.”
Siena, an eighth-grader at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School,
devotes a great deal of time and energy to helping children at local
homeless shelters by conducting supply drives, throwing birthday
parties, making blankets and playing with the kids. Siena first worked
with a charity her older sister started to help homeless teens, and then
decided to focus on younger kids in crisis situations. “My mom was in
foster care when she was young and was separated from her sisters and
brothers, so I have always known what a hard time these kids have,” said
Siena.
She began by asking shelters what their children needed most, and then
got to work meeting those needs. She launched a drive at her school that
collected a truckload of diapers, socks, underwear and toiletries. Then
she sought donations of school supplies, backpacks, shoes and children’s
books. Siena raised funds in her community and used her own allowance
money to buy birthday and holiday gifts for kids who may otherwise not
have received any, and threw parties for them as well. Siena now has
continual clothing, diaper and supply drives aided by her school, gym
and a professional basketball team, and she’s always sewing blankets and
making hygiene kits for homeless children. “I cannot do enough to help
these kids that have touched my heart so much,” she said.
As State Honorees, Landrey and Siena 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 Nevada students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Nevada's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Stephanie Brereton, 17, of Las Vegas, Nev., a member of the Girl
Scouts of Southern Nevada and a senior at Shadow Ridge High School, made
and donated 50 handmade quilts signed with “words of warmth” to people
with breast cancer. Stephanie, who earned her Girl Scout Gold Award for
the project, also created pamphlets about breast cancer prevention and
detection and attended several events to distribute more than 1,000 of
the pamphlets.
Evan Gong, 17, of Henderson, Nev., a junior at Nevada Virtual
Academy, volunteered with TRIO, a U.S. Department of Education program
that provides resources and assistance to students in need from middle
school through college. Evan, who visited middle and high schools to
promote the organization’s programs, was also responsible for tutoring,
proctoring tests, auditing the student database, updating academic
records and reviewing new applications.
Savannah Prenger, 17, of Las Vegas, Nev., a senior at Bishop
Gorman High School, founded a website that mobilizes teenagers to help
their homeless peers. Savannah started by providing needed items to
local teens with her own money, then decided to create the website in
2012 so she could find others willing to help; she will soon take her
program national.
Natalie Vaughn, 16, of Las Vegas, Nev., a junior at Ed W. Clark
High School, founded “Medical Supply Recovery,” a nonprofit organization
that has collected $20,000 worth of unused medical supplies and donated
them to free clinics and medical student programs. Natalie, who was
shocked to learn that many supplies get wasted due to expiration dates,
founded the organization in July of 2013 and has already made a
tremendous impact on several free clinics by coordinating supply
donations and distributions.
“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