Over the past 19 years, Prudential Spirit of Community Awards have been
given to more than 100,000 middle and high school students across the
country for helping the less fortunate, promoting health and safety,
protecting the environment, and serving their communities through many
other volunteer activities. Today, the search begins to identify
thousands more who have made meaningful contributions to their
communities over the past 12 months, as the awards program kicks off its
20th year.
These awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc. in partnership
with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP),
honor outstanding community service by students in grades 5 through 12
at the local, state and national level.
“Prudential is proud to recognize young people who contribute to the
well-being of their communities through volunteer service,” said
Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. “We look forward to
honoring the nation’s top youth volunteers of 2015, and hope their
stories will inspire others to consider how they can serve their
communities.”
Young volunteers can apply online at http://spirit.prudential.com
or at www.nassp.org/spirit.
Applications must be completed by November 4, 2014, and then submitted
to a middle or high school principal, Girl Scout council, county 4-H
agent, American Red Cross chapter, YMCA or HandsOn Network affiliate.
Paper versions of the application form are available by calling (877)
525-8491.
Participating schools and local organizations will select Local Honorees
in early November and present them with Certificates of Achievement.
These Local Honorees also will receive the President’s Volunteer Service
Award if they have contributed the minimum number of volunteer hours to
qualify (50 hours for age 14 and younger, 100 hours for those older).
All Local Honorees are then reviewed by a state-level judging committee,
which will name the top two candidates from each state and the District
of Columbia – one high school student and one middle level student – as
State Honorees on February 10, 2015. These State Honorees will receive
$1,000 awards, engraved silver medallions, and an all-expense-paid trip
to Washington, D.C., with a parent for four days of recognition events
May 2-5, 2015. Runners-up at the state level will receive bronze
medallions or Certificates of Excellence.
In Washington, a distinguished national selection committee will name 10
of the 102 State Honorees as America’s top youth volunteers of 2015.
These National Honorees will receive $5,000, gold medallions, crystal
trophies for their nominating schools or organizations, and $5,000
grants from The Prudential Foundation for nonprofit charitable
organizations of their choice.
“Across the United States, middle level and high school-aged volunteers
are changing their communities for the better,” said JoAnn Bartoletti,
executive director of NASSP. “We are honored to celebrate the
contributions of these young leaders.”
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represent the United States’
largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. The
awards program also is conducted in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland,
India and China, where Prudential has significant business operations.
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the
leading organization of and voice for middle level and high school
principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the
United States and 35 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.
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: Full-color pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards
program logo and medallions are available at http://spirit.prudential.com.]
Copyright Business Wire 2014