Keegan Nicholson, 17, of Missoula and Jayson Wanner, 13, of Great Falls
today were named Montana'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. Keegan was nominated
by Loyola Sacred Heart High School in Missoula, and Jayson was nominated
by East Middle School in Great Falls. 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).
Keegan, a senior at Loyola Sacred Heart High School, has been
refurbishing old laptop computers for the past several years, and
donating them to students and young adults who cannot afford to buy one.
“I have always had a keen interest in working with computers,” said
Keegan, “and have found that I am very good at refurbishing people’s old
computers to make them run almost like new.” Recognizing the vital role
computers play in students’ education, and the fact that many students
cannot afford them, Keegan realized he could use his skills to fill a
“technological void” in his community.
Initially, Keegan conducted his project only within the Loyola Sacred
Heart community, seeking donated computers through the school’s
marketing director and providing restored machines to fellow students.
The first recipient, he said, “was so thrilled she started crying.”
Keegan later decided that young people throughout Missoula could benefit
from his program, so he established a website to promote his service.
Before long, local news media picked up on his story, state agencies
began sending him their old laptops, and the local school district asked
Keegan to extend his program into the public schools. To manage his
growing enterprise, Keegan recruited other high school students to serve
on a management board and help coordinate donations and deliveries.
Keegan’s “Laptops for Students” program has given away dozens of
refurbished machines so far, and he is encouraging others to start
similar programs in their communities with detailed instructions on his
website.
Jayson, an eighth-grader at East Middle School, volunteers to assist
kids with special needs both as a unified partner for a Special Olympics
athlete and as an assistant in the special education room at his school.
Jayson’s mother is a special ed teacher at a local high school, and he
wanted to get involved in helping young people with disabilities, too.
He asked to have his school schedule changed so that he could work in
the special ed room at East Middle School, helping the students there
with their assignments and doing whatever else the teacher wants him to
do.
Jayson saw another opportunity to pursue his volunteer interests when he
heard about the Special Olympics program. He contacted the organization
and the head coach of a local team, and then signed on as a unified
partner to help an athlete with disabilities compete in Special Olympics
sporting events. Soon after, Jayson persuaded his mother and sister to
become Special Olympics volunteers, as well. “I have pride in what I
do,” said Jayson. “All of the people I have worked with, as well as
myself, have benefited.”
As State Honorees, Keegan and Jayson 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 two other Montana students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Montana's Distinguished Finalists for 2015:
Shelbi Fitzpatrick, 18, of Cut Bank, Mont., a senior at Cut Bank
High School, founded a support and service group at her school called
“Helping Others Provides Encouragement (H.O.P.E.),” and serves on the
Montana Student Advisory Board, where she lends her voice to important
discussions on bullying, graduation rates, academic success and social
challenges. Shelbi, who founded H.O.P.E. as a positive way to help her
peers overcome everyday issues, learned that coming together to help
others created a common bond that enabled them to also help each other.
Emily Jones, 16, of Stevensville, Mont., a member of the Ravalli
County 4-H in Hamilton and a junior at Ravalli Classical Academy, has
raised $1,500 to support Burmese refugee children living in an orphanage
in Thailand by repurposing feed bags into tote bags and selling them
through her project, “Bags4Burma.” Emily, who has been working with the
pastor at her church to connect with the orphanage, went on a missionary
trip to Thailand to visit with the children who have benefitted from her
service.
“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