William Thomas, 15, of McLean and Tomas Nichols, 12, of Stafford today
were named Virginia'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. William was nominated by Gonzaga
College High School in Washington, D.C., and Tomas was nominated by H.
H. Poole Middle School in Stafford. 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).
William, a freshman at Gonzaga College High School, has raised more than
$100,000 for charities supporting U.S. Special Operations Forces by
shooting basketballs, while rallying thousands of individuals and
organizations to join his cause. William was playing basketball at his
home in August 2011 when he heard the news that a helicopter carrying 30
American servicemen had been shot down in Afghanistan. To honor the
fallen heroes, he proposed shooting thousands of baskets over Labor Day
weekend, and his father pledged to donate a penny for each shot he made.
As word spread, pledges came in from other family members, friends and
strangers. William collected $50,000 by sinking 20,317 baskets in 50
hours.
Since then, William has held several more “shooting challenges” and
developed his “Operation Hawkeye” into a wide-ranging effort to support
Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their families, and to focus
attention on their sacrifices. He has assembled a network of basketball
players and coaches, companies, nonprofits and others who are committed
to his mission; built a website and leveraged social media to encourage
support for the SOF community; and attracted donations of money,
products and services totaling more than $100,000 for the benefit of SOF
charities. “We are helping those serving in SOF, and those that have
lost a loved one,” said William. “They know we care, that they have our
support and gratitude, and that we will remember these SOF heroes.”
Tomas, a sixth-grader at H.H. Poole Middle School, has led a team that’s
raised more than $55,000 since 2008 by participating in the Leukemia
Lymphoma Society’s annual fundraising walk in Fredericksburg. Tomas, who
had leukemia, said “the treatment for me was really hard and long and
painful. I didn’t want anyone else to go through that.”
Just a month after being diagnosed in 2007, Tomas went to his first
“Light the Night” walk and decided to form a team of family members,
friends and neighbors the following year. Now, every year, he knocks on
doors in his neighborhood to seek support, operates summer lemonade
stands, participates in radio interviews and commercials, and stands
outside stores to raise awareness of leukemia. And every year, his Team
Tomas has been the Fredericksburg event’s top fundraising team. The
money raised contributes to the search for what Tomas hopes will one day
be a “one pill” cure for blood cancer.
As State Honorees, William and Tomas 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 Virginia students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Virginia's Distinguished Finalists for 2014:
Katelyn Blakely, 18, of Bristow, Va., a senior at Osbourn Park
High School, founded “Kids Just Like Us,” a nonprofit organization that
has raised $30,000 in two years with its annual “Swim-A-Lap” event and
other projects to benefit children in foster care in Prince William
County. Katelyn, who serves on the board of directors with her family,
has donated the funds to provide the children with Christmas gifts,
athletic fees, camps and college scholarships.
Taylor Campbell, 17, of Manassas, Va., a senior at Stonewall
Jackson High School, founded “Ready, Set, Read! The Race to Literacy” in
2007 to inspire second-graders to read through a unique incentive
program. Several years after starting her program, Taylor moved out of
the classroom and took her program directly to a homeless shelter to
provide resources and encouragement to kids in their home environment.
Jenna Crumley, 13, of Virginia Beach, Va., a seventh-grader at
Kemps Landing Magnet School, has helped to raise nearly $10,000 by
making and selling art items to create awareness and support for St.
Mary’s Home for Disabled Children. Jenna, who formed the group with
several friends, has used the funds they have raised since 2009 to
support enrichment programs like museum tours and special outings.
Sandra Edwards-Thro, 18, of Yorktown, Va., a senior at York High
School, spent three summers as an English tutor in Haiti and founded
“Project Rive,” a community computer center in a rural Haitian village
-- a project that earned her a seat on the board of directors for the
educational technology organization Unleash Kids. Sandra raised more
than $4,000 through babysitting and car washes to help fund the purchase
of 10 computers and other equipment, and then traveled to Haiti to build
out the resource room.
Davina Seoparsan, 17, of Glen Allen, Va., a senior at J.R. Tucker
High School, has worked tirelessly since 2008 to bring awareness to the
issues of teen depression and suicide prevention, and started a
foundation called “Together We Can Celebrate Life.” Davina, who first
became an advocate for a friend who contemplated suicide, began
coordinating peer counseling groups which grew into public speaking
engagements and the writing and distribution of a booklet on the topic
of suicide signs and prevention.
Taylor Wichtendahl, 17, of Virginia Beach, Va., a senior at First
Colonial High School, started “Autism Buddies,” a nonprofit organization
that provides respite for parents of children with autism by pairing
their kids with volunteer buddies for recreational events. Taylor, who
coordinates the events with the Tidewater Autism Society, hosts a weekly
event at a local bounce house, and summer kayaking days in cooperation
with a local kayaking club.
“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