Ashley Craig, 17, of Wantage and Jayne McDevitt, 13, of Howell today
were named New Jersey'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. Ashley was nominated
by High Point Regional High School in Sussex, and Jayne was nominated by
Howell Middle School South in Howell. 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).
Ashley, a senior at High Point Regional High School, developed an
anti-bullying program that has been implemented in schools across New
Jersey, and delivers presentations throughout the country to heighten
awareness of bullying in schools. When Ashley was in the seventh grade,
she was bullied by five older boys. “Everyday I walked into my school
and faced verbal, physical and mental torment, and it was absolutely
terrifying,” she said. Years later, a friend confided to Ashley that his
bullying had become so intolerable that he was contemplating suicide.
She immediately told a guidance counselor and her friend was taken out
of school to get help. “That is when I realized that if I could save one
by just being there for him, I could do it for a lot more,” said Ashley.
She spent months researching bullying, and then putting information and
ideas into documents and a 75-minute PowerPoint presentation. A major
part of her program is designed to provide tangible assistance to
students who are being victimized at school: special texting lines
students can use to report bullying and request help; bi-monthly
after-school meetings to discuss bullying issues; and a school “safe
room” open every morning for those who do not feel safe in the hallways.
Ashley’s program also focuses on educating others on the subject of
bullying; she has delivered more than 100 presentations over the past
four years to students, parents, school boards and government agencies,
including the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI. “I have learned
that although problems may seem monumental at times, if you really work
at it, anything is possible,” said Ashley.
Jayne, an eighth-grader at Howell Middle School South, helps improve the
lives of young people with cancer by organizing an annual soccer
marathon fundraiser in honor of a good friend who died of brain cancer.
Jayne’s inspiration was her friend, Madison, who lost a 22-month battle
against brain cancer in June 2012. “I witnessed firsthand how hard Madi
fought, and what she went through, including losing the ability to walk,
talk, write, and partake in her favorite activity, soccer,” said Jayne.
“Madi’s love of soccer is what gave me, with the help of my own soccer
coach, the idea of creating a charity soccer marathon in her memory.”
To organize the “Madison Beggs Kicks 4-Kids” marathon and gift auction,
Jayne solicited support from friends and community members via email and
social media. She then sought sponsorships and donations from local
businesses and sent registration forms to soccer teams all over the
state. Next, she contacted food vendors, ordered T-shirts and other
items to sell, arranged for a disc jockey, planned games, and recruited
a former teacher of Madison’s to run the gift auction. Thus far, Jayne
has organized two soccer marathons and is now working on her third. Her
efforts have raised more than $50,000, enabling her to make substantial
donations to several charities that help children with cancer, including
The Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Frances Foundation for Kids Fighting
Cancer. “There is nothing more heartwarming to me than seeing the
smiling faces of young children just like Madi who are fighting their
heroic battle,” said Jayne.
As State Honorees, Ashley and Jayne 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 New Jersey students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are New Jersey's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Benjamin Danzger, 17, of Tenafly, N.J., a junior at Tenafly High
School, is a student filmmaker who along with his brother has produced a
series of documentaries following the stories of Holocaust survivors.
Benjamin, who financed four films with more than $7,000 that he and his
brother raised in an online Kickstarter campaign, worked with Holocaust
educators and conducted in-depth research and interviews to produce the
films, all with the goal of keeping the stories alive.
Caitlin Hanus, 17, of Port Murray, N.J., a senior at Morris
Catholic High School, founded a homelessness awareness and services club
at her school called “Crusaders in Action” when she was a freshman.
Since then, Caitlin’s group has made blankets for the homeless, hosted
an Empty Bowl fundraising event, and sponsored a cardboard city for
which students made and slept in cardboard boxes to gain a better
understanding of homelessness.
Adrian Hertel, 17, of Princeton, N.J., a senior at Princeton High
School, is actively involved in helping others learn, through activities
including tutoring fellow students and assisting the teacher in charge
of an art program for children with autism. Recently, Adrian took his
technology expertise and created Princeton Tiger Tech, a student club
that provides free technical advice, service and repairs to students and
faculty.
Brian Meersma, 17, of Princeton Junction, N.J., a member of The
Community YMCA and a senior at West Windsor Plainsboro High School
South, is an assistive technology consultant to people with
disabilities, providing resources to help people who have difficulty
with reading and writing. Brian, who overcame severe dyslexia, writes a
popular blog, conducts presentations for parents and educators about
assistive technologies, and is the only high school student advisor on
the board of Bookshare, a company that produces books for people with
disabilities.
Matthew Szawaluk, 17, of Glen Rock, N.J., a senior at Glen Rock
High School, founded a nonprofit organization called “Rock the Plate”
that has collected more than 250 pieces of gently-used baseball
equipment and more than $1,500 to benefit Pitch In For Baseball, a
charity that distributes Matthew’s donations to children in need.
Matthew, an avid baseball player, hosted a charity Wiffle ball
tournament and homerun derby in the fall of 2013 to raise the funds and
donations, and plans to host another event in the future.
Nancy Woo, 17, of Edison, N.J., a junior at John P. Stevens High
School, has raised more than $3,500 through two mental health awareness
projects: the “Stamp Out Stigma Walk,” a charity event that Nancy
directed, and “Socks for Mental Health,” to provide socks for
psychiatric patients. Nancy, motivated by family tragedies, hopes to
raise awareness of mental illness and eradicate the stigma associated
with it.
“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