Madeline Stephenson, 17, of Burkesville and Amelia Lowe, 11, of
Louisville today were named Kentucky's top two youth volunteers of 2015
by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program
honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Madeline was
nominated by Cumberland County High School in Burkesville, and Amelia
was nominated by Greathouse/Shryock Traditional Elementary School in
Louisville. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 20th
year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Madeline, a junior at Cumberland County High School, brightens the lives
of hospitalized children twice a week when she wheels her toy cart
through the halls of a local hospital and allows each child to select a
toy to keep. Madeline decided to launch her service project after
visiting the sister of a friend who was hospitalized with Type 1
diabetes. “Just walking into her hospital room I could feel her pain,”
Madeline said. While she was visiting, the girl’s grandmother brought a
smile to her face by giving her a Jell-O cup. Madeline thought, “What if
she had received something that she could have kept and used? Would it
have made her stay at the hospital more enjoyable and put her mind at
ease after hearing her diagnosis?”
Madeline began brainstorming about ways she could cheer up sick children
and came up with the idea of her toy cart, which she calls “Cause for a
Smile.” She presented her idea to the CEO of Cumberland County Hospital,
and then solicited help from the director of the hospital’s building and
maintenance department in designing and building a cart that would hold
toys and games. Madeline purchases toys, games, books, stuffed animals
and other items that appeal to children up to age 12. Every Wednesday
and Sunday, she loads her cart and rolls it into each pediatric
patient’s room and lets him or her choose a gift. “Many children in my
community live in poverty and don’t have the privilege of many toys,”
she said. “They can bring this toy home with them and cherish it
throughout childhood.”
Amelia, a fifth-grader at Greathouse/Shryock Traditional Elementary
School, has helped her school raise more than $300,000 for Kosair
Children’s Hospital by singing at fundraising events, knocking on doors
to solicit donations, and promoting her school’s philanthropy through
Facebook and YouTube. Singing is Amelia’s passion and she’s been doing
it as long as she’s been able to talk. When she was in first grade, her
teacher overheard her humming to herself and asked her to sing out loud.
Upon hearing Amelia’s beautiful voice, the teacher immediately enlisted
her help in the school’s first fundraising campaign for the Kosair
hospital. “Preparing for the fundraiser kickoff was a new and exciting
experience,” said Amelia. “That first year I sang ’Maybe‘ from Annie.
The students were so encouraged and excited that I sang for the closing
celebration and I’ve been singing every year since.”
That was more than four years ago, and since then Amelia has auditioned
and been selected for several performances to raise awareness and money
for her cause. She also has collected money door-to-door, written
letters to friends and family to ask for donations, posted videos of her
singing on Facebook and YouTube, and donated to Kosair any pay she has
received from performing at events. Over the years, her school’s
donations have funded a treatment room in the hospital’s emergency
department and a room in a pediatric surgical wing of an affiliated
facility, as well as benefitting programs for diabetes, congenital heart
defects and neonatal intensive care. “I look forward to finding new ways
to use my voice for good in school next year,” she said.
As State Honorees, Madeline and Amelia 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 2015.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Kentucky students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Kentucky's Distinguished Finalists for 2015:
Hadeel Abdallah, 17, of Lexington, Ky., a senior at Paul Laurence
Dunbar High School, founded “Youth of Lex” at three local high schools
and one middle school in an effort to bring teens of different
backgrounds together for friendship and community service, and has since
organized volunteer projects for the group with soup kitchens, Habitat
for Humanity and other organizations. Hadeel, who started the program in
2012, has recruited an executive committee to help run the organization,
hosts monthly meetings with guest speakers, organizes fundraising
events, and coordinates promotional activities for the program.
Alexandra Griffiths, 18, of Greensburg, Ky., a senior at Green
County High School, founded “Sole to Soul,” a program that has collected
and donated more than 1,000 pairs of gently-used shoes with
inspirational messages representing her Christian faith. Alexandra, who
has been collecting shoes for eight years, is passing on the
responsibilities of the organization to her younger sister when she
graduates so her “shoe mission” can continue.
Hannah Irvine, 17, of Ashland, Ky., a senior at Boyd County High
School, created a youth volunteer resources website that lists available
volunteer opportunities at 31 local organizations so teens who wish to
volunteer could easily do so. Hannah, who received a $1,000 grant to
help fund the website, has partnered with the United Way to develop an
additional site for adult volunteer opportunities.
Alexandria Myers, 18, of Shelbyville, Ky., a senior at Christian
Academy of Louisville, founded “Project H.O.P.E. (Helping Orphans
Prosper through Education),” in 2011, an exchange program for orphan
girls from the Covenant Peace School in Kenya, for which she has raised
$20,000 and provided opportunities for girls to travel to America to
spread the message about the importance of education for African girls.
Through her efforts, Alexandria’s school has been inspired to host
school supply collections and fundraisers that have helped to build a
dormitory at the school.
“Prudential is honored to celebrate the contributions of these
remarkable young volunteers,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO John
Strangfeld. “By shining a spotlight on the difference they’ve made in
their communities, we hope others are inspired to volunteer, too.”
“These students have not only improved their communities through their
exemplary volunteer service, but also set a fine example for their
peers,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “Each of
their stories is proof of the impact one young person can have when they
decide to make a difference.”
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 4, 10 of the State Honorees –
five middle level and five high school students – will be named
America’s top youth volunteers of 2015. 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 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.
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 2015