TMCnet News
Washington's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards ProgramTristan Ryan, 18, of Vancouver and Emma Murphy, 13, of Enumclaw today were named Washington'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. Tristan was nominated by Seton Catholic College Preparatory in Vancouver, and Emma was nominated by Enumclaw Middle School in Enumclaw. 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). Tristan, a senior at Seton Catholic College Preparatory, worked with his brother to raise more than $100,000 to begin a music therapy program for premature infants at a local hospital, and to purchase equipment to reduce noise in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The brothers, who take on a different project every year to benefit their community, decided on their hospital fundraiser after listening to a family friend describe how hearing live harp music had brought her peace during the very stressful three months that her premature twins were confined to the NICU. "I had spent 11 days in intensive care at birth, and know how hard that was on my parents," said Tristan. "Their stories inspired me to act on behalf of newborns and their families to provide the best possible environment and care at our local hospital." The boys visited the hospital to find out more about the NICU and its needs. They learned that, according to many studies, noise has a negative effect on the growth of premature babies, but music enhances healing and development. So they decided to raise money to bring regular music to the unit and purchase monitors that would cut down on extraneous noise. The brothers developed a presentation to illustrate the need and then met with a local philanthropist, who agreed to match up to $25,000 of whatever they raised. Over the next two months, the brothers met with local businesses, friends and family members to ask for financial support. They also sold poinsettias at Christmastime, held a Super Bowl fundraiser and threw a Valentine's Day dinner at their house. In the end, they received 117 donations, providing $103,432 for the hospital. Emma, an eighth-grader at Enumclaw Middle School, raises both money and awareness for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to seek a cure for Type 1 diabetes, and also volunteers at school and church in a variety of ways. "I'm very passionate about freeing the world from diabetes, a disease we've battled for thousands of years," said Emma, who is diabetic herself. Every year she leads a team called "Emma Jane's Gang" that participates in a walk-run fundraiser in Seattle called "Beat the Bridge." She also raises funds at school for JDRF, makes public appearances to focus attention on diabetes, and helps her father with an annual fundraiser they hold at their home. In addition, Emma has helped lead recycling activities, food drives, and other service projects at her school; worked at a local food bank; helped with a beach cleanup; supported Special and Senior Olympics; and entertained residents at an adult family home. "All of these activities make an impact because they make others feel good, make the world a better place, and start a chain reaction of kindness and support for each other," said Emma. As State Honorees, Tristan and Emma 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 six other Washington students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion. These are Washington's Distinguished Finalists for 2016: Tina Bao, 17, of Vancouver, Wash., a member of Southwest Washington American Red Cross Youth Council and Mt. View Red Cross Club and a senior at Mountain View High School, is the president of the Southwest Washington Red Cross Youth Council, for which she has raised $15,000, sposored blood drives and taught CPR/first aid classes. Tina, who joined her school's Red Cross club as a freshman, also coordinates campaigns that raise measles awareness and teaches disaster preparedness courses. Leslie Cho, 18, of Lynnwood, Wash., a junior at Lynnwood High School, was 13 years old when she began volunteering at a summer music camp where she provides group and private lessons, and works one-on-one with students who need extra help. In addition, Leslie volunteers at her church helping to feed the hungry and serving as a teacher's assistant in the summer school. Kai Pacifico Eng, 16, of Bellevue, Wash., a senior at Bellevue Big Picture School, helped raise $13,000 by making fundraising phone calls for the Seattle Young People's Project, a youth-run organization that helps develop leadership skills, for which he served as a volunteer intern. Kai also volunteers as a peer leader with The Service Board, a mentoring, leadership and community service program. Mariana RenterÃa Hernández, 17, of Yakima, Wash., a senior at Eisenhower High School, created a mental health awareness campaign at her school that included a 5K "Run for Hope" that raised $1,510 to support local mental health organizations, and a month of activities to help raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of depression and other mental health conditions. Mariana, who herself experienced depression, recruited a team of volunteers to assist in the coordination of informational sessions from outside agencies, a poster campaign and presentations. Tabitha Reynolds, 17, of Bonney Lake, Wash., a freshman at Bonney Lake High School, raised $525 to benefit stroke research by hosting a stroke awareness event at her school through her school's DECA chapter, for which Tabitha serves as president. Tabitha, inspired to educate others after her best friend's father had a stroke, partnered with the Puget Sound American Stroke Association and worked with club members to prepare carnival-style games with information booths about stroke awareness. Jackie Yeh, 17, of Tacoma, Wash., a junior at Charles Wright Academy, created the website "Jackie's Volunteer Network" to identify and promote volunteer opportunities for teens. Jackie, who created the website in the eighth grade after being told she was too young to volunteer for certain organizations, is also active in a number of other organizations and service clubs and has raised $8,000 for a variety of organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the Toy Rescue Mission and FISH Food Banks. "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/20160209005216/en/ |
