HONOLULU, Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryan Park, 18, of Honolulu and Chelsea Masaki,
13, of Mililani today were named Hawaii's top two youth
volunteers of 2019 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts
of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Ryan and Chelsea 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
2019.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 24th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in
partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
These are Hawaii's top youth volunteers of 2019:
High School State Honoree: Ryan Park
Nominated by Punahou School
Ryan, a senior at Punahou School, formed a nonprofit organization and school club that aim to improve the lives of people with
cancer and their families through hospital volunteering, fundraising and personal interaction. When Ryan was a sophomore, he
began experiencing back pain while running competitively. His physician ordered tests that revealed a tumor on the left side of
his tailbone. "I was paralyzed by fear," said Ryan. "As I lay on what I thought was my deathbed, I had the opportunity to reflect
back on my life." He recalled that few experiences equaled the joy he felt when helping others. Fortunately, his tumor proved to
be benign, but Ryan resolved to make the most of his "second chance at life."
Early last year, Ryan organized a club called "HOPE" (Helping Oncology Patients Everywhere) at his school, recruited a faculty
advisor, completed paperwork for 501(c)(3) status and started recruiting members. After Ryan became an official volunteer at
several hospitals, he encouraged and helped club members to become hospital volunteers, as well. He also has organized club
activities such as crocheting hats and sweaters for patients, giving monthly music recitals at treatment centers, and sharing
food and crafts with young patients. In addition, Ryan's club has raised more than $3,000 to buy gifts for cancer patients by
selling baked goods and specialty T-shirts and tote bags that Ryan designed. His HOPE club, which now has 150 members, also has
participated in national cancer-related fundraising drives.
Middle Level State Honoree: Chelsea Masaki
Nominated by Mililani Middle School
Chelsea, an eighth-grader at Mililani Middle School, works to keep the ocean and beaches of Hawaii clean by participating in regular cleanup activities and educating others about the dangers of
plastic pollution. Chelsea's father, an avid diver and fisherman, taught her to swim and dive when she was very young. "This
helped me to gain a deep respect and love for the ocean and beach," she said. Like many in Hawaii, Chelsea's family spends a lot of time on the weekends enjoying the beach. But in recent years, she
said, they noticed an increasing amount of plastic debris on the sand and in the water.
For the past three years, Chelsea and her family have spent many weekends cleaning beaches on their own and as part of
organized group efforts, including two beaches they adopted through a local nonprofit environmental organization. Armed with
garden gloves, scoop nets, buckets, tongs, knives and sifters, the family picks up larger pieces of litter and marine debris from
the sand with tongs and uses nets to scoop them out of the waves. For microplastic debris, they use sifters to separate the sand
from the plastic particles, gather the debris in buckets and dispose of them in garbage bins. "By removing microplastics, birds
will not mistake them for food and get sick and die," Chelsea said. "And by removing marine debris in our ocean, our marine
animals will not get tangled or caught in them." On her website, Chelsea posts information about beach cleanups, writes about
environmental issues and posts pictures of cleanup activities. Chelsea also speaks about plastic pollution to elementary school
students and visitors at the Waikiki Aquarium.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other Hawaii students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community
service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Hawaii's Distinguished Finalists for 2019:
Catherine Chow, 16, of Kea'au, Hawaii, a junior at
Kea'au High School, led a community effort to establish and maintain a garden for the newly constructed Hale Iki Village, home to
evacuees from the 2018 volcanic eruption of Kilauea and subsequent earthquake. Catherine's
leadership of people from local churches, her high school and her 4-H groups has helped to transform a barren landscape into a
garden full of flowers and produce.
Stefani Sakamoto, 18, of Honolulu, Hawaii, a
member of Girl Scouts of Hawaii and a senior at Punahou School, created "ALOHA" (A Life of
Healthy Actions), a multifaceted nutrition education program that's reached more than 200 children and their families, as well as
other community members. Stefani's program, which draws on her passion for food and healthy eating, has encouraged participants
to take a pledge to promote a healthy lifestyle, choose healthy snacks and prepare healthy meals.
"These young volunteers learned and demonstrated that they can make meaningful contributions to individuals and
communities through their service," said Prudential CEO Charles Lowrey. "It's an honor to
recognize their great work, and we hope that shining a spotlight on their service inspires others to consider how they might make
a difference."
"Each of these honorees is proof that students have the energy, creativity and unique perspectives to create positive
change," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "We commend each of the 2019 honorees
for their outstanding volunteer service, and for the invaluable example they've set for their peers."
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 affiliates of Points of Light's
HandsOn Network, 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 6, 10 of the
State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2019. 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 125,000 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, China and Brazil. 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.
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 principals and
other school leaders across the United States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school
leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student's potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the
success of each student. 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
Student Council. Learn more at 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.
For Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallion
graphics, please visit https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media
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