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Pennsylvania's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards Program
[February 09, 2016]

Pennsylvania's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards Program


Colin Harding, 17, of Pittsburgh and Grace Preston, 11, of Brockway today were named Pennsylvania'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. Colin was nominated by Baldwin High School in Pittsburgh, and Grace was nominated by Brockway Area Elementary School in Brockway. 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).

Colin, a senior at Baldwin High School, donated $7,500 worth of toys, video games, books and other items last year to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. When Colin was 13, his appendix burst, an emergency that required weeks of hospitalization. During that time, Colin made friends with a member of the hospital's Child Life team, who invited him to hang out in the activity room or, when he was too sick to leave his room, brought activities to Colin's bedside to alleviate his boredom. "They took amazing care of both myself and my mother," said Colin. Even so, he found being in the hospital pretty boring as there was "not much entertainment for teens, especially those into video games." When Colin was ready to finally go home, he asked the Child Life employees what items they wished they had to improve the stay of every child, and vowed that someday he would find a way to help.

That day came last September when, list in hand, Colin went to work. He registered his "wish list" at Toys-R-Us and then solicited support from local businesses, distributed fliers around the community, and asked family members and friends for donations. The items he donated to the hospital included foosball, bumper pool and air hockey tables, a projector and screen for movie nights, sound and lighting systems, games and gaming items and sports equipment, as well as dolls and other toys. The day he delivered his trailer full of donations was a proud one for Colin. "They were not prepared for the amount of donations," he said. Colin continues to help children as a summer volunteer working in the hospital's playrooms and at school in a special gym class for children with physical challenges.

Grace, a sixth-grader at Brockway Area Elementary School, has raised more than $4,000 over the past three years to improve the lives of animals in her community by selling homemade dog treats, cat toys, and flea and tick repellent. Grace become interested in orphan animals after her family adopted a dog from a local shelter. "I wished that all animals could be lucky enough to find homes," she said. "Since my parents wouldn't let me adopt all the animals at the shelter, I wanted to help them while they were waiting for homes." Grace read about a girl who asked that her birthday party guests donate to a hospital's children's unit in lieu of buying her gifts. Grace liked the idea and decided to do the same thing on her eighth birthday, requesting donations to the animal shelter. Helping the animals felt so good that Grace wanted to do more. That was when she started "Grace's Goodies."

With the help of her mother, Grace found a recipe for dog biscuits, commandeered the family kitchen, and started baking. She sold the biscuits and other products at local farmer's markets, festivals and through a Facebook (News - Alert) page. She also placed donation cans around her town, and appealed for help on fundraising websites. With the money she's raised, Grace has enabled the local Humane Society to purchase a storage shed, as well as other supplies such as rabies gloves. Grace also has provided animal oxygen mask kits to the fire department for pets caught in fires, helped pay for a shelter dog's surgery, and collected pet food for families who can't afford to feed their animals.

As State Honorees, Colin and Grace 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 Pennsylvania students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

These are Pennsylvania's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:

Aaron Albuck, 17, of Yardley, Pa., a senior at Pennsbury High School, was elected co-chair for the 2015 International Convention for the United Synagogue Youth, the first time the organization has ever chosen a high school volunteer for the position. Aaron, who has been active in the organization since the ninth grade with roles including chapter president and Philadelhia region vice president, coordinated the educational, social and religious programming to inspire the convention's 1,000 attendees to generate change in the world.



Elaina Clark, 16, of York, Pa., a junior at Christian School of York, has helped to raise $140,000 over the past five years to support a number of charitable causes as an active member and current president of executive relations for Teens Stand for Charities (TSFC), a teen-led nonprofit organization in her town. Much of the funds are raised in the annual "Acts in Motion Adventure Race," and have gone to provide food for the hungry, clothing for the homeless and wells for fresh drinking water in West Africa.

Angela Farinella, 13, of Bensalem, Pa., a seventh-grader at Nazareth Academy Grade School, has raised $14,250 to support the training and lifelong needs of support dogs through the organization Canine Companions for Independence as the co-chair for "DogFest Philly," a fun event for dogs and their owners. Angela, upset that she couldn't train a puppy of her own to be a support dog, became the only teenager to chair a local event, an event she intends to continue to coordinate for many years to come.


Kathleen Gergel, 17, of West Chester, Pa., a senior at Henderson High School, is an active community volunteer who recently raised $750 and collected 1,200 children's books to help build a library at a primary school in Botswana. Kathleen, who has also volunteered at her church's vacation Bible school and made bagged lunches for the homeless, created a website through the African Library Project, and a GoFundMe page to spread the word about her book drive.

Erin Kim, 18, of Chalfont, Pa., a senior at Central Bucks High School South, has helped to raise $5,000 as the president of her school's Anonymous Aid Association, a club that raises funds to support students and their families who are struggling financially. Erin, who joined the group in 2013 and served as fundraising chair and co-president in the past, reaches out to local businesses for their support and helps coordinate various fundraisers and food drives to benefit the organization.

Kendra Murray, 18, of Meyersdale, Pa., a senior at Meyersdale Area High School, is the president of her school's student council, and helped her school raise $5,000 to support breast cancer research by sponsoring a "Flamingo Flocking" pink flamingo event. Kendra, who also organizes community cleanup days and other school activities and fundraisers, has been involved with student council since her freshman year.

Sadie Presto, 16, of Washington, Pa., a junior at Trinity High School, has helped her Relay for Life team to raise $24,000 for the American Cancer Society by organizing and participating in a number of events including holiday gift wrapping, bake sales and a "Bowling for Life" event. Sadie, who has been involved with Relay for Life since 2010, also volunteers with the Greater Washington Area Food Bank, the ladies auxiliary for the American Legion and with school clubs including student council, Trinity Leadership Committee and Students Against Destructive Decisions.

Kathryn Talerico, 13, of Pittsburgh, Pa., an eighth-grader at Ingomar Middle School, has raised $20,000 since 2009 to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation by participating in the annual Walk to Cure Diabetes. Kathryn, who was diagnosed with the chronic illness when she was 7 years old, has also volunteered at the organization's annual gala events and spoken to Congress to help encourage votes to authorize coverage for glucose monitors for senior citizens through Medicare.

"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


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