NEWARK, N.J. , Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Grace Davie , 16, of Sanford and Miranda Torrey , 12, of Lisbon today were named Maine's top youth volunteers of 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America's largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service.
As State Honorees, Grace and Miranda will each receive a $2,500 scholarship, a silver medallion and an invitation to the program's virtual national recognition celebration in April, where 10 of the 102 State Honorees will be named America's top youth volunteers of the year. Those 10 National Honorees will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their nominating organization and a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit charitable organization of their choice.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades 5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service.
"We created the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 26 years ago to highlight and support the work of young people taking on the challenges of a changing world – a mission that rings truer than ever given the events of last year," said Charles Lowrey , Prudential's chairman and CEO . "We are proud to celebrate the vision and determination of Spirit of Community's Class of 2021, and all the ways they're making their communities safer, healthier and more equitable places to live."
These are Maine's top youth volunteers of 2021:
High School State Honoree: Grace Davie
Nominated by Sanford High School
Grace, a junior at Sanford High School, serves as the student representative for the Sanford Backpack Program, which provides food to students from food-insecure households, and created an initiative that presented nearly 250 families with boxes of holiday treats and other items this past December. Grace got involved in the backpack program at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. "I realized that I had more time than I thought I had," she said, "and began to think about how I was spending my time and was it meaningful?" When she learned that the pandemic was making the need for food-filled backpacks more critical than ever, Grace began volunteering every Thursday to get food out to students with limited access to reliable food sources.
By autumn, she had been appointed to the backpack program's advisory board, and began wondering what she could do to make the Christmas season special for the program's clients. "I wanted to come up with a way for them to experience joy in a holiday season that might present more obstacles then normal," she said. Her conclusion: a "box of joy" filled with holiday treats, basic food items, paper goods, toiletries and other gifts. With the assistance of her mother and sister, Grace collected empty banana boxes from a supermarket, decorated them, and then asked sponsors in the community to fill them with 30 items from a list she provided. Although her initial goal was to assemble 100 boxes, Grace ended up brightening the holiday for more than 245 families with her "boxes of joy."
Middle Level State Honoree: Miranda Torrey
Nominated by Philip W. Sugg Middle School
Miranda, a seventh-grader at Philip W. Sugg Middle School, is an enthusiastic and active volunteer who has served her community in a variety of ways since she was 6 years old. "I learned early on that it's important to consider what other people deal with," she said. "I saw so many struggling just to put food on their tables or take care of sick family members. There are so many ways that we can help our community."
She has read to young children at a local library, visited schools to promote anti-bullying education, held an event that generated $1,300 for Make-a-Wish Maine, and participated in many community events advancing a wide variety of causes. But perhaps Miranda's most impactful project has been a Facebook page called "Kid's Speak," where young people can go to talk about anything that affects them. "I want kids to know that they aren't alone, that we are all just trying to figure things out," she said.
State Honorees in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Class of 2021 – the top middle level and high school volunteer from all 50 states and the District of Columbia – were selected for service initiatives completed, at least in part, between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. Selection was based on criteria including impact, effort, initiative and the personal growth demonstrated over the course of the project. Several Distinguished Finalists and runners-up were also selected in each state, and all qualifying applicants received President's Volunteer Service Awards.
"It speaks volumes about the character of today's secondary school students that the Spirit of Community program heard from more than 21,000 applicants this fall – most of them stories of young volunteers overcoming the hardships of a global pandemic to support those in need," said Ronn Nozoe , Chief Executive Officer, NASSP . "While we're especially proud to celebrate this year's 102 State Honorees, NASSP applauds every student who's found a way to volunteer this past year. You inspire your peers and adults alike to remember that, even in times of crisis, we all have something to give."
To read the names and stories of all of this year's State Honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com .
About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager, has operations in the United States , Asia , Europe and Latin America . Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.
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 http://nassp.org .
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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.