Sean Egan, 17, of Staten Island and Haley Maier, 11, of Gasport today
were named New York'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. Sean was nominated by Monsignor
Farrell High School in Staten Island, and Haley was nominated by Orleans
County 4-H in Albion. 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).
Sean, a senior at Monsignor Farrell High School, founded an organization
of more than 300 students who assist and thank veterans of the U.S.
armed forces by sponsoring events, providing goods and services, and
visiting military hospitals. After Sean’s father, a firefighter, died in
the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City, Sean realized the nation
had enemies and that service members were called upon to stop them.
“They are the one group most responsible for protecting our way of life,
and they deserve our thanks,” he said.
Two years ago, Sean organized a holiday visit with some fellow high
school students to a VA hospital in Brooklyn. When he saw how much the
wounded warriors there appreciated their company, he formed a group
called “Hearing Our Heroes” at his school to support and celebrate
veterans. Since then, the organization has grown to include more than
300 students at six schools. They have provided hundreds of books and
games for the recreation room at the Brooklyn hospital and donated basic
necessities to veterans who leave the hospital homeless. They also bring
supplies and gifts to amputee veterans at Walter Reed Medical Center in
Maryland every few months. The group has worked on hundreds of events
for service members including lunches, barbecues, parades and sporting
events for wounded veterans. After Hurricane Sandy, Sean’s organization
helped veterans salvage their properties and rebuild their homes. Last
summer, it raised money to send a military family to Disney World.
“Hearing Our Heroes” members also do yard work for local vets, and
assist with the upkeep at veterans cemeteries and monuments. “It is our
duty to ensure that those who have served our nation and defended our
precious freedom receive the appreciation and recognition they deserve,”
said Sean.
Haley, a sixth-grader at Barker Middle School, has raised money for the
Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association by making and
selling crocheted necklaces in memory of her grandmother, who died from
Alzheimer’s disease before Haley was born. Although she never knew her
grandmother, Haley often listened to her older sisters talk about what a
great grandma she was. “She had done so much for everyone that I wanted
to do something on her behalf,” she said. Since her grandmother loved to
crochet, and had been assisted in many ways by the Alzheimer’s
Association after she became ill, Haley decided to crochet necklaces to
support the association’s work.
After her mother taught her to crochet, Haley began spending evenings
and weekends making necklaces and then sold them to friends, classmates,
family members, teachers and others in her community. She also set up
necklace displays at her pediatrician’s office and hair dresser’s salon,
and demonstrated her crocheting technique at a county 4-H event. “It
makes me happy to know that people like my grandma could benefit from
what I do,” said Haley. “I wish I had known my grandma, but somehow I
know she is watching over me.”
As State Honorees, Sean and Haley 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 New York students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are New York's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Nicholas Courtney, 17, of Williamsville, N.Y., a senior at St
Joseph's Collegiate Institute, co-founded “International Micro-loans of
Buffalo” in August of 2012 and has since raised more than $16,000 and
distributed more than 61 microloans to small businesses throughout the
world. Nicholas, who works with the international charity Kiva to
distribute the loans, is responsible for preparing and distributing
newsletters to donors, updating the website, and creating fundraising
and advertising campaigns for the organization.
Brooke Dipalma, 17, of West Islip, N.Y., a senior at West Islip
Senior High School, founded “P.S. I Love You Day” in 2009 to put an end
to bullying, depression and suicide – a day that has since been
celebrated by 30,000 people in communities across the country. Brooke,
who founded the day after losing her father to suicide, created how-to
packets for other interested communities, created a Facebook page, and
hosted events at her school where everyone wears purple in honor of
“P.S. I Love You Day.”
Camille Marshall, 17, of Ogdensburg, N.Y., a senior at Ogdensburg
Free Academy, founded “PJs 4 X-Mas” with her sister in 2009, and has
since collected 5,700 pairs of pajamas and more than $17,000 in cash to
benefit families in need through several local organizations. Camille
and her sister, who created the organization to pass along their family
tradition of receiving new pajamas every year for Christmas, has also
provided clothing to people facing difficult circumstances, including
the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Akash Mehta, 16, of Brooklyn, N.Y., a sophomore at Saint Ann's
School, founded “Kids for a Better Future” when he was 11 years old, and
has since raised more than $50,000 to support a number of projects
around the globe. Akash raised the funds with help from a group of
volunteers by hosting walkathons, bake sales and other fundraising
events, and has donated the money to help build a school for girls in
Afghanistan, provide resources for homeless children in New York City
and support former child soldiers in the Congo.
Jessica Penna, 18, of Hampton Bays, N.Y., a senior at St.
Anthony's High School, founded the first-ever school-based club for
“Kids Stock the House,” an organization that supports Ronald McDonald
Houses. As president of the 75-member club, Jessica has organized a
number of fundraising activities that have raised more than $25,000 to
support the local Ronald McDonald House and encouraged other schools to
get involved.
Caroline Pennacchio, 15, of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., a sophomore
at Briarcliff High School, organized two book donation programs, “Twice
Loved Books” and “Donate a Book in Honor of Your Graduate,” that yielded
hundreds of books to expand the collection at her local library.
Caroline also has organized two used book sales that raised more than
$9,000 to support the library and provided hundreds of books to local
charities.
Brook Peters, 17, of New York, N.Y., a member of the McBurney
YMCA in New York City and a junior at Gramercy Arts High School, created
“The Second Day” an educational film about people, including himself,
who were personally impacted by the 9/11 attack on the World Trade
Center. After that movie, which is now being used by schools and museums
around the world, Brook created the “Show Your Strength Campaign,”
another video project that showcases stories of perseverance and
resilience through the use of inspirational messages from people all
over the world.
Pascale Stain, 17, of Delmar, N.Y., a member of the Girl Scouts
of Northeastern New York and a senior at Emma Willard School, founded
“Grow, Prepare, Share,” a gardening project for teenagers in the refugee
program where she’s volunteered since 2007. Pascale, who wrote the
project’s curriculum and a cookbook, created the project to help refugee
teens practice English while learning about gardening, cooking skills
and nutrition.
“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