New Hampshire's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards Program
Merrimack and Londonderry students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions and trip to nation’s capital
Honors also bestowed on youth volunteers in Salem and Chester
CONCORD, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Emma Williams, 17, of Merrimack and Caitlin Shapleigh, 12, of Londonderry today were named New Hampshire'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. Emma was nominated by Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, and Caitlin was nominated by Londonderry Middle School in Londonderry. 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).
Emma, a senior at Bishop Guertin High School, began organizing an annual basketball tournament in 2011 to raise money to provide Christmas gifts for families in need in her community. As a member of her school’s service group in eighth grade, Emma was challenged by the club’s advisor to think of ways to raise money for charity. At the time, she was an avid basketball player, so it didn’t take too long for Emma to propose a fundraising “Heart to Hoops” basketball tournament.
After obtaining permission to use the school gym for a weekend in November, Emma reached out to coaches and recruited eight teams, and then, with the help of her father, lined up referees. The teams all paid an entrance fee to play in the tournament, and additional money was raised by selling tickets to spectators, and conducting a raffle and shooting competitions. Emma also encouraged spectators to bring canned food to the tournament, which was donated to charity. Emma’s annual tournaments have raised more than $8,000, enough to brighten the holidays of 80 families in her area. “My favorite part is the kids,” she said. “It’s amazing to see young basketball players become excited about doing something they love, while making a difference in the world.”
Caitlin, a sixth-grader at Londonderry Middle School, resolved to conduct one volunteer project each month over the course of a year, and also launched a campaign to persuade other young people to get involved in volunteering. “My mom has a saying, ‘touch one, touch many,’” said Caitlin. “She explained that if you help one person, you have no idea how many other people might be helped in the future by one act of kindness. It is now my motto, which inspires me when volunteering.”
In August of 2014, Caitlin sat down with a calendar and marked the volunteer activities she wanted to do each month. These included collecting canned goods for a food pantry, men’s winter coats for a church, and more than 100 books for a local library. She also performed at a senior center with her baton team, made gift bags for veterans, and stuffed backpacks with donated school supplies for students in need. Every time she volunteered, Caitlin documented the activity with photos to share with other young people as part of her “Kids Can Too!” campaign. In addition, she put together a PowerPoint presentation to show elementary school children that they can make a difference without a lot of effort. “I feel really good inside every time I finish a volunteer project,” Caitlin said. “I want other kids to feel that same way.”
As State Honorees, Emma and Caitlin 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 two other New Hampshire students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are New Hampshire's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:
Laura Perrault, 16, of Salem, N.H., a junior at Salem High School, is the vice president of her school’s Key Club, and in that role has been instrumental in coordinating a hunger campaign for which more than 100 families with children on the school’s free lunch program are provided with a weekend’s supply of food. Laura and other Key Club officers and members meet weekly to sort and pack the donated food to provide sustenance from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.
Danielle St. Peter, 14, of Chester, N.H., a member of the Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains and an eighth-grader at Chester Academy, joined with her Girl Scout troop to help the local food pantry reorganize and improve their food storage and raise awareness to help increase food donations. Danielle, who managed the group responsible for replacing the old pantry shelves with new ones, also helped stock food for the holidays and attended community organization meetings to promote year-round food donations.
“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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Prudential Financial
Harold Banks, (973) 802-8974 or (973) 216-4833
[email protected]
Source: Prudential Financial, Inc.