[February 09, 2016]

Ohio's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21St Annual National Awards Program

Parker Inks, 17, of Fremont and Meagan Warren, 12, of Bexley today were named Ohio's top two youth volunteers of 2016 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Parker was nominated by St. Joseph Central Catholic High School in Fremont, and Meagan was nominated by Bexley Middle School in Bexley. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 21st year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Parker, a junior at St. Joseph Central Catholic High School, helped start a foundation eight years ago that has raised $150,000 through an annual dinner and auction to help families burdened by the high cost of caring for children with disabilities. Parker, who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when he was a baby and uses a power wheelchair to get around, was hospitalized in 2008 with severe pneumonia. It was a terrible time for his family - not only was Parker sick, but his mother was undergoing chemotherapy and his father was not working. One day, Parker had a visit from his school's football coach. "He and my dad told me that I have a purpose," said Parker. "I thought these were just words of encouragement but the older I get the more I understand that I truly do have a purpose." After that visit, the coach organized several fundraisers to ease the family's financial situation. Overwhelmed by the community's generosity, Parker and his family wanted to "pay it forward" and founded a nonprofit organization, "Parker's Purpose," to help pay bills and purchase medical equipment for families of children with disabilities. - more

As one of five members of the foundation's executive committee, Parker attends monthly meetings to review grant requests. To raise money, Parker came up with the idea of having an annual dinner and auction. Every year, Parker helps spread the word and is the spokesperson for the event. He weighs in on the choice of venue, the entertainment, and which celebrities will be asked to attend. The money the event has raised has helped more than 200 families over the years, Parker said, and he plans to keep going. "One day, I hope I can look in the mirror and say that I have made an impact on others' lives!"

Meagan, a seventh-grader at Bexley Middle School, brings the magic of books to low-income children in the Columbus area through "Books for Bedtime," a nonprofit organization that has collected more than 14,000 children's books since late 2014. For Meagan, who started reading when she was only 2 years old, it is hard to imagine not having a book to read, especially at bedtime. But she knows that not every child's parents can afford to buy books. "Because my mom has always worked at disadvantaged schools, I have seen the effects of poverty, and understand that books are often low on the families' list of necessities," Meagan said. One night, while reading in bed, she was thinking how sad it was that there were kids who didn't get to read before falling asleep. It dawned on her that she could help change that.

With the help of her family, Meagan filed the paperwork to start her nonprofit, and created a logo, business cards, a website and social media accounts. Then she built a large collection box to place at her school and at various businesses in her community. Soon, donations of books started coming in. Once she gets the books, she stamps them with her logo, organizes them by grade level and stacks them in her basement to await their new home. The biggest hurdle initially, she said, was finding organizations that wanted her books. But after a local newspaper printed a story on her project, she started getting calls from schools, homeless shelters, immigrant organizations and other groups. When she delivers books, she often gives a short motivational speech about the wonders of reading. "Almost every time I donate I have at least one child approach me and ask, 'How much does this book cost?' It brings me such joy to be able to say it's free," said Meagan.

As State Honorees, Parker and Meagan 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 2016.

Distinguished Finalists

The program judges also recognized eight other Ohio students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

These are Ohio's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:

Michaela Bruno, 18, of Sagamore Hills, Ohio, a senior at Nordonia High School, helped raise $10,000 for "Knights Caring for Knights," a weekend food assistance program she founded with her mother and sister in 2011 for which they prepared weekend food packages out of their basement. Michaela, who has taken the lead on the program and moved it to the high school, has a crew of volunteers who help collect the food and prepare the packages for 25 students weekly who are identified by counselors as being food insecure.

Ryan Dozer, 17, of Powell, Ohio, a junior at Olentangy Liberty High School, helped raise $50,000 to provide meals for pediatric chemotherapy patients and their families, and to help them make their mortgage payments during treatment, through the organization he and his family founded called "Fight Like a Dozer." Ryan, who overcame cancer after a diagnosis in 2012, helped his family create the organization as a way to give back to those who supported him after his diagnosis, and today he helps organize student volunteers, develop fundraising ideas, and help with sponsorship and promotion.

Phillip Fischio, 18, of Dover, Ohio, a senior at Dover High School, has raised $15,568 to support The Rainbow Connection, a nonprofit organization that supports the healthcare of people in need in Tuscarawas County. Phillip, who has been volunteering for the organization since he was 9 years old, raised the funds by raking leaves, collecting recyclables, and hosting bake sales and raffles.

Rohith Koneru, 17, of Dublin, Ohio, a senior at Dublin Scioto High School, has raised $4,000 to support the Nationwide Children's Hospital and Research Foundation in Columbus by accepting donations from people he's helped uncover unclaimed government funds. Rohith, who created "Digging for Dollars" after reading an article about how the government is holding billions in unclaimed funds, reaches out to people to offer his help uncovering the funds and then asks for a donation in return for his help.

Anthony Massa, 18, of Canton, Ohio, a senior at Hoover High School, raised $2,000 by organizing a Christmas charity variety show, "Season of the Heart," to support two local charities: Hammer and Nails and the Stark County Hunger Task Force. Anthony, who spent six months securing sponsors and musical acts, writing comedy material and promoting the event, hopes to make it an annual affair.

Vishnu Nistala, 16, of Mentor, Ohio, a senior at Mentor High School, began volunteering in the summer of 2012 at the Fairport Senior Center, offering weekly technology classes to help seniors keep up with the latest advances in cell phone and computer technology. Vishnu, who began volunteering as a tribute to his late grandmother , helps the seniors order prescription refills and pay bills online, while also teaching them how to manage email, protect their personal information and connect with family and friends through social media.

Richard Pasco, 18, of Hubbard, Ohio, a senior at Hubbard High School, co-founded the "Ricky Mack Giving Back Make-A-Wish Fundraiser" in 2009 and has since raised $47,000 to sponsor five wishes for terminally ill children. Richard and his sister, who both have an immune disorder called common variable immune deficiency that requires them to get monthly plasma infusions, both received wishes, and created the fundraiser to give back.

Jade Scott, 11, of Montpelier, Ohio, a fifth-grader at Montpelier Middle School, founded her school's chapter of Help Us Give Shoes (HUGS) in 2014, and has collected more than 3,000 pairs of shoes and $1,240 through shoe drives and sponsorships. Jade, who continues to collect and donate shoes to those in need, has also begun collecting snow boots so children can be protected during the cold and wet winters.

"Prudential commends each of these young volunteers for using their creativity and compassion to bring positive change to their communities," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. "We hope their stories inspire others to consider how they can make a difference, too."

"We are pleased to honor these students not only for their exemplary acts of service, but for the powerful example they've set for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "Congratulations to each of the 2016 honorees."

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 2, 10 of the State Honorees - five middle level and five high school students - will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2016. 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 115,000 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 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

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160209005120/en/

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