America’s Top 10 Youth Volunteers of 2016 Named at 21st Annual Prudential
Spirit of Community Awards
Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank pays tribute to outstanding middle level and high
school volunteers
For community service initiatives that range from supporting families of U.S. soldiers to helping children with cancer, 10
students were named America’s top youth volunteers of 2016 today by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a national program
sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
These National Honorees, named during the program’s 21st annual national award ceremony at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium,
range in age from 10 to 18. They were selected first from a field of more than 29,000 middle level and high school youth volunteers
nationwide, and then from 102 State Honorees, based on their initiative, effort, impact, and the personal growth demonstrated in
the course of their volunteer service. The National Honorees each received $5,000 personal awards, engraved gold medallions,
crystal trophies for their schools, and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for charities of their choice.
Today’s ceremony was part of a four-day celebration that brought each state’s top two youth volunteers of 2016 to Washington,
D.C., for sightseeing and special recognition events. These State Honorees – one middle level and one high school student from each
state and the District of Columbia – were personally congratulated by Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank last night at a
gala dinner reception at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Each State Honoree received a $1,000 award.
These are the 10 National Honorees named today:
Kayla Abramowitz, 14, of North Palm Beach, Fla., an eighth-grader at Watson B. Duncan Middle School, has collected nearly
10,000 DVDs, books and other items for 81 hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in all 50 states through her nonprofit organization,
“Kayla Cares 4 Kids.”
Connor Archer, 18, of Stillwater, Maine, a senior at Old Town High School, works to educate the public about autism and
the challenges faced by people with autism like himself, and has raised more than $12,000 for organizations that help people with
special needs.
Grace Davis, 11, of Louisville, Ky., a fifth-grader at Greathouse Shryock Traditional Elementary School, has helped raise
more than $140,000 over the past four years to care for babies born prematurely by distributing piggy banks to students in her
community and encouraging them to fill them up.
Maria Keller, 15, of Plymouth, Minn., a sophomore at Orono High School, founded a nonprofit called “Read Indeed” when she
was 8 years old, and has since collected more than 1.7 million books for children in need in 50 states and 17 other countries.
James Lea, 17, of Las Vegas, Nev., a junior at Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School, helps brighten the holiday
season for children who have recently lost a parent by surprising their families with an anonymous gift each day for 12 days, tied
to the theme of the song “12 Days of Christmas.”
Jungin Angie Lee, 17, of Naperville, Ill., a junior at Metea Valley High School, co-founded a nonprofit organization that
has generated nearly $200,000 over the past nine years through annual fundraising events to help find a cure for her rare
neuromuscular disease.
Zachary Rice, 13, of Long Valley, N.J., an eighth-grader at Long Valley Middle School, initiated an annual 5K run/walk
that has raised more than $50,000 over the past three years to provide gaming systems and other fun distractions for young patients
at Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown.
Jackson Silverman, 10, of Charleston, S.C., a fifth-grader at Advanced Studies Magnet-Haut Gap Middle School, persuaded a
local food bank to let him start a youth volunteer program there in 2013 that has by now packed more than 14,000 weekend lunch bags
for kids in need.
Clare Szalkowski, 10, of Dubuque, Iowa, a fifth-grader at Hoover Elementary School, started “Clare Cares” over two years
ago to “build friendships and make our community a better place” by organizing projects that benefit bullied children, homeless and
hungry people, and others in need of assistance.
Alisha Zhao, 17, of Portland, Ore., a junior at Lincoln High School, created a club at her school to provide services to
local homeless people, and then founded a nonprofit organization called “Kids First Project” to expand her efforts and focus on the
needs of homeless youth.
“By using their time and talents to better their communities, these young people have achieved great things – and become
examples for us all,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “Congratulations to an exemplary group
of honorees.”
“These students have demonstrated a truly remarkable level of leadership and commitment in the course of their volunteer
service, and it’s an honor to celebrate their accomplishments,” said Michael Allison, president of NASSP. “We commend each and
every one of them for a job well done.”
The distinguished selection committee that chose the National Honorees was chaired by Strangfeld and included Allison of NASSP;
Andrea Bastiani Archibald, chief girl expert for Girl Scouts of the USA; Robert Bisi, senior public affairs manager for the
Corporation for National and Community Service; Tracy Hoover, president of Points of Light; Reneé Jackson, senior manager of
education programs at the National PTA; Maxine Margaritis, vice president of volunteer services for the American Red Cross; Peggy
McLeod, Ed.D., deputy vice president, education and workforce development at the National Council of La Raza; Dru Tomlin, director
of middle level services for the Association for Middle Level Education; Frederick J. Riley, national director, urban & youth
development at YMCA of the USA; and two 2015 National Honorees: AJ Mattia of Washington Township, N.J., a sophomore at Holy Cross
Academy, and Morlan Osgood of Loveland, Ohio, a senior at Loveland High School.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards was created in 1995 to identify and recognize young people for outstanding volunteer
service – and, in so doing, inspire others to volunteer, too. In the past 21 years, the program has honored more than 115,000 young
volunteers at the local, state and national level.
For more information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year’s honorees, 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. 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 pictures of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.
For digital photos or B-roll of the National Honorees at the 2016 national recognition events, contact Prudential’s Harold
Banks at (973) 216-4833 or harold.banks@prudential.com.
Prudential
Harold Banks, (w) 973-802-8974 or (c) 973-216-4833
harold.banks@prudential.com
or
NASSP
Robert Farrace, 703-860-7257
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