Sara Puryear, 18, of Nashville and Iyonia Boyce, 14, of Memphis today
were named Tennessee'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. Sara was nominated by
Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, and Iyonia was nominated by
Collierville Middle School in Collierville. 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).
Sara, a senior at Harpeth Hall School, started a program to encourage
young people around her state to collect toys, clothing and other gifts
for patients at a Nashville children’s hospital. Sara had already
participated in several donation drives for the Monroe Carell Jr.
Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt when one day, as she was delivering
some items, she happened to see 70 newly donated red wagons, which are
used to transport young patients at the hospital. She immediately
thought about filling all of the wagons with things that could make sick
children’s hospital stays more comfortable and pleasant.
She presented to the hospital a plan to recruit young volunteers all
over Tennessee to conduct donation drives in their local neighborhoods,
schools, churches and community organizations for the children of
Vanderbilt. The hospital embraced her idea and set up a page on its
website featuring the “Red Wagon Project” logo that Sara designed. Sara
holds orientation sessions for new “ambassadors” twice a year, and
provides them with packets of posters and information to assist them
with their own drives. As a result, thousands of items have arrived at
the hospital, including games, toys, pajamas, socks and other things on
the hospital’s wish list. “The nurses tell us that anything special
brings a smile to the patient and helps a rough situation be not so
bad,” said Sara. “Being in the hospital is tough on children and any way
to make this experience a more ‘normal’ part of childhood is worth the
world to me.”
Iyonia, an eighth-grader at Collierville Middle School, founded a
mentoring group that volunteers for a variety of charities and conducts
numerous activities to combat bullying. Iyonia realized the importance
of community service after volunteering for the March of Dimes and
learning about all the medical issues facing premature babies. So in
2009 she formed “Little Divas in Training” to encourage other students
to volunteer. In the years since, her group has raised funds and
collected donated items worth more than $20,000 for organizations such
as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Girls Inc. The group also
works to prevent bullying, which Iyonia experienced in the fourth grade.
Like so many others, Iyonia suffered in silence, but when her parents
got involved and a local student committed suicide after being bullied,
Iyonia decided to speak out and put bullying education on her Little
Divas agenda.
Iyonia has made presentations to more than 4,500 students about how to
identify and manage bullying situations, and performs interactive
exercises to foster understanding of victims’ feelings. She also has
taken her anti-bullying message to the media and is involved in a
bullying prevention group at her school. In addition, Little Divas has
hosted an anti-bullying workshop, a teen dating and domestic violence
brunch, and a pageant to instill confidence in girls who have been
bullied. The group also collected over 100 dresses for girls who
couldn’t afford to buy their own for homecoming and prom dances. “I want
to show my peers that you can do anything if you believe in yourself and
work hard,” said Iyonia.
As State Honorees, Sara and Iyonia 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 Tennessee students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Tennessee's Distinguished Finalists for 2015:
Laree Carter, 13, of Germantown, Tenn., an eighth-grader at
Riverdale Elementary School, is an active member of the Riverdale
Ropers, a Jump Rope for Heart demonstration team at her school, and
volunteers with the nonprofit Jump Club, for which she has helped to
raise $10,000 to teach kids how to jump rope and live fit lives. Laree,
motivated to help others by her grandmother’s struggle with heart
disease, has performed at jump rope events at 10 schools in the past
year.
Sarah Locke, 18, of Charleston, Tenn., a senior at Walker Valley
High School, founded a neighborhood watch program for which she recruits
volunteers, organizes meetings and events, and connects with neighbors
and local law enforcement. Sarah, who felt compelled to pursue the
project after the local elementary school was burglarized, is currently
serving as the neighborhood watch director.
Claire Martin, 18, of Petersburg, Tenn., a senior at Cornersville
High School, established three “Little Free Libraries,” throughout
Marshall County, which are small structures built to resemble a school
house and stocked with donated books that anyone can take. Claire, who
chose this project to help encourage reading by providing easy access to
books, hosted book drives to stock the libraries and worked with town
officials for approval to place them in front of the housing authority,
the Head Start program and at the local park.
Morgan Munsey, 18, of Church Hill, Tenn., a senior at Sullivan
East High School, recently co-founded the “Patriot Stars Cheer Squad”
for girls from pre-school through 12th grade with special needs, and has
made arrangements for the squad to perform at high school basketball
games. Morgan, who was motivated to help those with special needs by her
younger brother’s autism diagnosis, works with a friend to choreograph
dances and create cheers for 15 girls.
Abigail Ridenour, 17, of Oak Ridge, Tenn., a senior at Oak Ridge
High School, created “Blessings Through a Blankie,” an organization
through which she has personally made 125 blankets and delivered them to
children undergoing chemotherapy and to loved ones staying at the Ronald
McDonald House. Abigail, who knows from her mother’s cancer treatment
that a side effect is a constant sense of feeling cold, made her mother
a blanket to use during treatment, which inspired her make more blankets
to help others.
Michael Zietz, 18, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., a senior at Oakland
High School, sponsored various fundraising events that have raised
$10,000 for “Honor Flight,” an organization that provides free flights
for veterans to visit their war memorials in Washington, D.C. Michael,
who embarked on this mission as the president of the Tennessee Children
of the American Revolution, was motivated by a Navy reunion trip he
attended with his grandfather, and hopes to fund 32 trips at $500 each
and fill an entire flight with veterans.
“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