Thad Taylor, 17, of Huntington and Emilee Ellison, 12, of Parkersburg
today were named West Virginia'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. Thad was nominated by
Huntington High School in Huntington, and Emilee was nominated by Wood
County 4-H in Parkersburg. 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).
Thad, a junior at Huntington High School, designed and installed a
54-foot-long tile mural at the entrance to a new children’s hospital in
Huntington, so that scared children arriving at the facility would be
greeted with a bright and cheerful river scene instead of just a gray
concrete wall. Thad has participated in volunteer activities for most of
his life, but wanted to find a project “that was going to have a big
impact in my community,” he said, and one he could “come back to in 20
years and show my children.” He knew a new children’s hospital was being
built, and figured a colorful mural at the entrance would be an ideal
undertaking.
Starting almost three years ago, Thad convened more than 10 meetings
with hospital officials and various professionals to come up with a
plan. Then he created a blue-and-green mural design depicting a river
flowing through grass, raised over $2,600, bought nearly 16,000 one-inch
glass tiles and other supplies, and found a tile contractor willing to
donate his time. Thad worked as the contractor’s assistant during the
installation, and recruited other volunteers to assist with other parts
of the project, which Thad calls “Tiles for Smiles.” Said Thad: “Sick
children arriving at the hospital for painful tests, frightening
treatments or intimidating surgeries will now see a wall that is bright,
glittering, uplifting and happy, hopefully distracting their uneasiness
and calming their fears, because it is dazzling.”
Emilee, a sixth-grader at Williamstown Elementary School, launched a
project called “Operation: Spread the Love” to perform random acts of
kindness to others in her community, and encourage the beneficiaries of
her kindness to do the same. “My family has always viewed Valentine’s
Day as a golden opportunity to show love to our friends and family,”
said Emilee. “After finding out that Valentine’s week was also Random
Acts of Kindness week, I decided to take things a step further and come
up with small projects that could put smiles on the faces of others.”
She tried out her idea on her 4-H club by having members write
compliments to each other on cut-out hearts, and spoke to them about
ways they could spread random acts of kindness to others. She gave a
similar talk to her fifth grade class. Next, Emilee gathered some
friends to begin her own acts of kindness. One weekend, they spent over
14 hours packaging homemade crafts and goodies into hundreds of baggies,
and then distributed them both to acquaintances and to strangers. One of
Emilee’s favorite “acts” is using colored chalk to decorate driveways,
sidewalks and concrete walls with rainbows, hearts, smiling faces, and
inspirational words and sentiments at the homes of friends or anyone she
knows who “could use a smile,” she said.
As State Honorees, Thad and Emilee 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 West Virginia students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are West Virginia's Distinguished Finalists for 2015:
Ginny Blake, 17, of Huntington, W. Va., a senior at Huntington
High School, founded “The Bucks for Ducks Fund,” and has raised more
than $7,000 to provide 250 stuffed “Chemo Ducks” used a medical learning
tool for children undergoing chemotherapy. Ginny, who was inspired to
help those with cancer by her grandfather’s fight with the disease,
founded the organization in the spring of 2014 when she sponsored a
charity walk to raise the initial funds.
Ryan Thompson, 16, of Parkersburg, W. Va., a member of the Wood
County 4-H in Parkersburg and a sophomore at Parkersburg South High
School, conducted an awareness campaign for Tourette syndrome that
included hosting presentations for his school and his 4-H Club, and
selling T-shirts reading, “Tourette Syndrome Tics Me Off!” Ryan, who has
Tourette syndrome, encouraged all who bought T-shirts to post on their
social media accounts during National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month
in May, and also prepared an informational packet so each person could
become advocates when asked about the T-shirt.
“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