Nicole Shah, 16, of Springfield and Blake Harris, 14, of Kansas City
today were named Missouri'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. Nicole was nominated
by Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield, and Blake was nominated
by Congress Middle School in Kansas City. 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).
Nicole, a junior at Greenwood Laboratory School, co-founded a nonprofit
organization made up of teen volunteers from five high schools and two
colleges who have raised $65,000 over the past two years to benefit sick
children and others with serious illnesses. “As a kid, I watched my
mother make an impact on the lives of those in need nearly every day,”
said Nicole. “She made me realize how important giving back to my
community is, and how I can make an impact.” When Nicole and a group of
peers got together to organize a local service project, Nicole realized
the need for an organization that could give teens the opportunity to
not only volunteer on an ongoing basis, but to become leaders in their
community. So Nicole and a friend launched a nonprofit called “ETHIC”
(for “Every Teen Helps Inspire Change”). As president, Nicole recruits
members, manages budgets, organizes fundraisers, and promotes the
organization money to buy a frozen beverage machine for a local
hospital, to alleviate the pain of mouth sores that young cancer
patients often develop when undergoing chemotherapy. In addition, the
group created an event to pay for life-changing surgery for 10 patients
from Nepal. Nicole said she hopes to start a chapter of ETHIC in her
college next year.
Blake, an eighth-grader at Congress Middle School, has made it his
mission to perform lots of small but important tasks to make life easier
for people in need in his community. Blake says he “caught fire” with
community service while participating in volunteer projects through Boy
Scouts, his church, the National Junior Honor Society, and simply by
following the example of family members. Still, he thought he could do
more. “I felt the world lacked spontaneous giving and service,” Blake
said. “I came up with the idea of doing lots of activities for lots of
different ages so that it could be ongoing. I can’t help everybody, but
I can help a lot of people some.”
So two years ago, Blake started his project, “Pass It On,” to perform
acts of kindness for people who need a helping hand. He has done errands
for the elderly, visited the sick and lonely, mowed lawns for neighbors,
worked at a food bank, participated in fundraising walks, read to
children with special needs, purchased food to provide a Thanksgiving
dinner for a family in need, and gathered items for Christmas gift
baskets. One of his favorite experiences was shoveling a driveway for a
woman who otherwise could not have gotten to a dialysis appointment.
Blake also spends time everyday helping to care for his brother, who has
autism. “Helping others in lots of small ways everyday creates joy,”
said Blake.
As State Honorees, Nicole and Blake 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 six other Missouri students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Missouri's Distinguished Finalists for 2015:
Sophie Bernstein, 15, of St. Louis, Mo., a freshman at Clayton
High School, is an advocate for the prevention of hunger and, since
growing her own backyard garden and donating the produce to local food
banks, has built and maintained four additional gardens and donated more
than 5,000 pounds of fresh produce to benefit children and local food
banks. In addition, Sophie has taught 225 pre-school children how to
plant and maintain a garden and how important it is to eat fresh produce.
Taylor Brooks, 18, of Dora, Mo., a senior at Dora High School, is
the administrator of the “Snackpack Backpack Program” at his school, and
has raised more than $11,000 through corporate sponsorships to provide
1,000 weekend snackpacks for 122 elementary school students who
participate in the reduced-cost lunch program. Taylor, who took over the
program when its founder graduated last year, packs the weekly snack
packs, attaches a card to each pack to credit each weekly sponsor, and
restocks his inventory with the help of just one classmate.
Aileen Markovitz, 18, of Wildwood, Mo., a senior at Eureka High
School, founded the “National Honor Society Outreach Program” in an
effort to expand community service opportunities beyond the NHS
membership to the entire student body. Aileen, driven to volunteer by
watching her mother fight ALS, also founded the “St. Louis Association
of National Honor Societies” as a resource to help local chapters work
together on joint service projects.
Jade McNeil, 17, of Troy, Mo., a senior at Troy Buchanan High
School, has distributed more than 500 backpacks filled with school
supplies to children in need through the program she founded, “Success
in a Backpack.” Jade, who started the program after volunteering at an
office supply store and noticing how many teachers purchased school
supplies for their students, secured $11,000 in donations from local
businesses, and works closely with the school district to determine
exactly how many students are in need.
Jordan Richardson, 18, of Platte City, Mo., a senior at Platte
County High School, has been an active volunteer since 2010 at The
Farmer’s House, an organization where youth and adults with disabilities
can learn practical social and vocational skills through a gardening,
catering and baking program. Jordan also founded an awareness campaign
called “Differently Abled” to spread acceptance of those with
disabilities.
Yearam Tak, 18, of St. Charles, Mo., a member of the St. Charles
County Family YMCA in St. Peters and a senior at Francis Howell High
School, founded “Hope for Next Generation,” a charitable organization
that pairs 40 homeless teens with student mentors who help them tackle
schoolwork and personal issues. In addition, Yearam and her group of
volunteers have raised more than $9,800 through various fundraising
events, and she is expanding her program to local shelters and families
in need.
“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