Cullen Corr, 16, of Irving and Eric Li, 14, of Manvel today were named
Texas' top two youth volunteers of 2015 by The Prudential Spirit of
Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for
outstanding acts of volunteerism. Cullen was nominated by Episcopal
School of Dallas in Dallas, and Eric was nominated by Pearland Junior
High West in Pearland. 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).
Cullen, a junior at Episcopal School of Dallas, founded a nonprofit
organization made up of student leaders from 12 Dallas-area high schools
who mentor, tutor and raise money for kids at a local homeless center.
When Cullen began volunteering for Family Gateway with his mother in
seventh grade, he noticed there was no place there for teens to “hang
out,” so he spent the following summer raising money and recruiting
volunteers to install a teen room at the center. He then started
planning monthly activities for the kids there and helping them with
their schoolwork. “Every time I realized there was a need, I wanted to
do something to address that need and help the children,” he said.
Cullen eventually formalized his support for kids at the homeless center
by establishing a nonprofit and involving students from other high
schools in the area. His group conducts tutoring sessions every Sunday
afternoon, plans events at the center each month, hosts holiday
celebrations, and runs collection drives for needed items, often aided
by hundreds of volunteers. In addition, Cullen’s “Kids Helping Kids”
organization raised more than $20,000 through two 5K races to buy a
15-passenger van that will enable the kids at Family Gateway to go on
educational field trips, attend camps, and take part in preschool
programs. And it is selling branded merchandise on its website to fund a
college scholarship program for Family Gateway children.
Eric, an eighth-grader at Pearland Junior High West, founded a nonprofit
organization with his siblings that has collected nearly $200,000 in
cash and in-kind donations to help children around the world recover
from major disasters. When Eric was 7, an earthquake in Sichuan, China,
killed nearly 90,000 people. “I was very sad, and felt that I had to
help the kids there,” he said. He gathered all of his savings – $94.87 –
and asked everyone in his school to help him collect more money for the
victims. In three months, Eric was able to send more than $4,500 to the
Red Cross for disaster relief in Sichuan, and then visited China to
deliver $1,500 more.
That experience made Eric realize that there are lots of people around
the world who need help. He and his siblings formed a nonprofit charity
that has since organized more than 400 activities that have either
raised money or collected needed items for young victims of 10
disasters. When Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, Eric
and his fellow volunteers persuaded young people and adults in 16
countries to send over 5,000 letters to children who suffered from the
disaster. In November 2013, Eric led an effort to ship 4,210 items of
clothing and other supplies to the Philippines in the aftermath of a
devastating typhoon. Currently, Eric also is teaching local students to
refurbish computers, which are then sent to orphanages in third-world
countries.
As State Honorees, Cullen and Eric 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 ten other Texas students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Texas' Distinguished Finalists for 2015:
Wilson Clark, 18, of Midland, Texas, a senior at Lee High School,
raised $11,000 in toy and monetary donations to provide 1,000 children
with new toys through “Toys for Cops,” the nonprofit organization he
founded in 2011. Wilson, who was bullied as a child and wanted to
provide comfort to others as a result, provides toys to police officers
who then use them to comfort children in crisis, including those who
have been abused or who have lost loved ones to crime.
Karla Espinosa, 17, of Mission, Texas, a senior at Sharyland High
School, founded the “Driving for Wishes Golf Classic” in September 2014,
which raised more than $73,000 and provided wishes for 14 children
through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Karla, who worked with the event
sponsor, Texas National Bank, recruited volunteers and sponsors and
promoted the event.
Jake Galant, 17, of Dallas, Texas, a junior at St. Mark's School
of Texas, is the director of TeraByte, an organization that provides
weeklong camps to teach kids how to design video games and, with the
revenue earned from those programs, provides the camps for free to
students from low-income families. Jake, who trains and manages
volunteer counselors to help teach the camp, hopes to teach students
problem-solving and critical thinking skills, the basics of computer
programming, and interactive storytelling.
Jocelyn Hernandez, 18, of San Antonio, Texas, a senior at Lee
High School, founded “Environate,” a nonprofit organization that offers
apprenticeships to high school students in need in business, law, policy
and STEM companies that are focused on eco-research. Jocelyn, who hopes
to debut the first Environate class during the summer of 2015, has
developed the seven-week training program to uncover the hidden talents
of students who might not otherwise have these opportunities.
Courtney Janecka, 11, of Woodway, Texas, a fifth-grader at River
Valley Intermediate School, raised $4,500 by selling handmade beaded
bracelets through her project, “Courtney’s Creations,” and uses the
funds raised to provide cancer patients with “This Can’t Be Happening,”
a book written by her mom about her own cancer journey. Courtney, who
was 10 years old when she began her project, sells her bracelets through
gift shops, hospitals, stores and churches.
Sanah Jivani, 17, of Spring, Texas, a senior at Klein Collins
High School, created “International Natural Day,” a day to celebrate
everyone’s natural selves — an initiative inspired by her struggle with
medical hair loss and her desire to help others overcome similar
challenges. Sanah, who lost all of her hair by age 12 and now goes
without a wig in order to “love her natural self,” prepared a Natural
Day kit for people in 11 schools and 28 countries who have hosted the
day in their locations, and has also created a website with information
and stories of inspiration.
Grace Knight, 17, of Tyler, Texas, a junior at Bishop T.K. Gorman
Catholic School, has helped her family in their efforts to raise
$1,500,000 to support research for a cure for cystic fibrosis, which
Grace was diagnosed with as a baby. Grace, who helps her family with the
annual Great Strides Walk they created in 1999, is in the process of
creating a poetry book comprised of poems written by cystic fibrosis
patients and their loved ones.
Abigail Moorhead, 16, of Houston, Texas, a sophomore at St.
John's School, has helped to raise more than $300,000 in the past four
years as co-founder of an annual benefit concert, “Voice for Zambia,”
and has used the funds to pay the school tuition for Zambian orphans as
well as pay for food, books and clothing and help to build a home to
provide emergency shelter for several children. Abigail serves as the
event emcee, helps with the invitations, marketing, ticket sales and
also performs at the concerts.
Katherine Thomas, 17, of Plano, Texas, a junior at Plano West
Senior High School, has created and implemented a free summer computer
programming and robotics class for 50 children using a $3,000 grant from
Dell to purchase robotics kits, and received help to teach the camp from
college students at the University of Texas. Katherine, a member of the
First Lego League sixth place world team, also worked with a local Girl
Scout troop to teach engineering concepts and mentor them to follow
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.
Kayce Welch, 17, of Texarkana, Texas, a junior at Texas High
School, created the “One of a Kind” project to help raise funds and
awareness of juvenile diabetes, the disease she was diagnosed with at
age 11, and has so far raised $3,000 through a charity walk to support a
summer camp for children with diabetes. Kayce is currently planning a
“One of a Kind Gala for Diabetes,” to be held in the spring of 2015,
which she hopes will raise at least $30,000 to help fund research into a
cure.
“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