Indiana's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards Program
Carmel and Schererville students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions and trip to nation’s capital
Honors also bestowed on youth volunteers in Newburgh, Indianapolis, Zionsville, Colfax and Demotte
INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kamna Gupta, 18, of Carmel and Esha Mishra, 14, of Schererville today were named Indiana'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. Kamna was nominated by Girl Scouts of Central Indiana in Indianapolis, and Esha was nominated by Forest Ridge Academy in Schererville. 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).
Kamna, a junior at Carmel High School, has collected and distributed more than 2,350 pounds of gently used shoes to people in third-world countries through “Souls for Shoes,” the nonprofit organization she founded in 2013 after a trip to India. It was there that Kamna encountered a beggar who was wearing sandals he had fashioned from two empty water bottles and hay. “To aid him, I gave him sandals purchased from a store, upon which he rejoiced,” said Kamna. The experience got her thinking. She and most people she knew thought nothing of tossing out a pair of perfectly good shoes simply because they were out of style. Yet, she had no doubt that there were millions of people all over the world, who, like the man in India, couldn’t afford to own even one pair of shoes. She came home determined to change that.
After some research, she discovered Shoe Box Recycling, a company that sends boxes of donated shoes abroad. It agreed to handle the shoes Kamna collected. She approached the executive board at her temple and received permission to conduct a shoe drive there. It was slow going at first, Kamna said, as she struggled to fill even a couple of boxes with acceptable shoes. So she stepped up her efforts to publicize her project by developing a website, designing fliers and cards to remind people to bring shoes, and persuading corporations and civic organizations to hold shoe drives. She also recruited more than 40 volunteers and trained them to lead shoe drives at school and to canvass neighborhoods for donations. Kamna estimates her efforts have helped put shoes on the feet of more than 15,000 needy people in 15 countries.
Esha, an eighth-grader at Forest Ridge Academy, organized a collection drive at her school that yielded thousands of school supplies for poverty-stricken children in Nepal. Esha visited the central Asian country last spring with her family, and was stunned to see the poverty there. “The kids barely had anything!” she said. Two weeks after Esha returned home, a major earthquake devastated Nepal. “I thought, if these kids had so little before the earthquake, they must be in even worse conditions now,” she said. “I knew I had to do something.”
Esha brainstormed ideas with her family, and created a plan to collect school supplies in her school community for kids in Nepal. After obtaining the support of her principal, she set up a collection table at her school and began visiting classrooms to make PowerPoint presentations about her campaign. Before long, Esha had collected thousands of items, including pencils, pens, books, crayons, paints, notebooks and markers. The supplies were packaged and shipped to a thousand-student elementary school in Nepal. Esha said she is determined to send shipments to the school every year. “By providing this school with supplies, the children will have the tools they need to get a better education,” she said.
As State Honorees, Kamna and Esha 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 Indiana students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Indiana's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:
Landon Eisenhut, 16, of Newburgh, Ind., a sophomore at Castle High School, created “iSENIOR,” a nonprofit organization that brings 30 trained teen volunteers into senior communities to teach senior citizens how to use and take advantage of modern technology such as cell phones and iPads. Landon, who was inspired by his grandfather’s desire to understand technology, founded the group in 2014 to keep seniors connected to their loved ones and to the world.
April Gettelfinger, 17, of Indianapolis, Ind., a senior at Perry Meridian High School, is in the middle of her two-year term as lieutenant governor of the Key Clubs in Indianapolis after serving as an active Key Club member since her freshman year, including a role as her school’s club president. In her role, April has brought the Key Clubs together in numerous joint service projects such as volunteering at food pantries, raising money for Project Smile, and hosting a senior citizen prom.
Victoria Martine, 16, of Zionsville, Ind., a junior at Zionsville Community High School, has raised $2,100 in the past five years to support an orphanage in Guatemala with the proceeds of a book she wrote called “The Hundred Dollar Sock.” Victoria, who promotes and sells her book through book signing events, was given permission to volunteer for one week at the orphanage in 2013, despite being too young according to its policy, because of her fundraising efforts.
Adarius Reese, 13, of Indianapolis, Ind., an eighth-grader at Chapel Hill 7th & 8th Grade Center, is active in his school as a member of student council and a peer mentor in his school’s Connected Giants program, for which he also participates in service projects such as food and toiletry drives. Adarius also volunteers at his church’s food pantry, where he helps to pack bags of food and distribute them to those in need.
Braden Smith, 16, of Colfax, Ind., a member of the Montgomery County 4-H and a sophomore at North Montgomery High School, secured $1,250 in grants and sponsorships to fund the materials to build more than 400 square feet of new shelving for the Caring Center food pantry so its space could hold more items. Braden, who managed a crew of 14 volunteers, also helped to sort and store food items into 130 storage bins that are housed on the new shelves he built.
Jared Stemper, 18, of Demotte, Ind., a senior at Kankakee Valley High School, is a lifelong Boy Scout who is currently the leader of his patrol and is working toward his Eagle Scout project. Jared, who is also a certified member of the select Boy Scout group the “Order of the Arrow,” actively volunteers at the local food bank.
“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/20160209005071/en/
Prudential Financial
Harold Banks, (973) 802-8974 or (973) 216-4833
[email protected]
Source: Prudential Financial, Inc.