WASHINGTON, May 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nevada's top two youth volunteers of 2019, Peyton Barsel, 17 and Jackson Bentham, 12, both of Las Vegas, were honored in the nation's capital last night for their outstanding volunteer service during the 24th annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Peyton and Jackson – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – received a $1,000 award and personal congratulations from award-winning actress Viola Davis at an award ceremony and gala dinner reception held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), named Peyton and Jackson Nevada's top high school and middle level youth volunteers in February. In addition to their cash awards, they each received an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent to Washington, D.C., for four days of recognition events.

Peyton, a junior at The Meadows School, helps children who have been traumatized by the death of a parent or sibling to express their feelings and learn coping skills, through her work at a grief counseling center in Las Vegas. Sadly, Peyton can relate to what these children are going through because she lost her own father to a heart attack when she was 9. "My mom knew that I needed more support than what I was receiving at school, so she enrolled me in a peer grief support group," said Peyton. "That group changed my life." For two years, Peyton and her brother participated in peer group counseling at Adam's Place, "the one place where I felt safe," she said. Five years ago, Peyton wanted to give back to the place that had helped her, so she approached the founder of the center to see if she could be a group facilitator.

After training, Peyton became the first teenage facilitator at Adam's Place, meeting every other week with children 5-8 years old to do fun activities that helped them understand their loss, its impact on their families, and ways they can begin to put their lives back together. The work is hard, she said, and often makes her relive the pain of her father's death, but it is "incredibly rewarding." When a lack of funds threatened to close the center, Peyton testified at the state capital in support of a bill that now provides additional annual funding to keep Adam's Place open and allow it to serve more children and families. She has also raised more than $5,000 by persuading businesses to donate goods and services for an annual silent auction. Currently, Peyton is lead facilitator for a group of children ages 9-12. She is also working to pass a bill in Nevada that would require eight hours of trauma training every two years to help teachers support students in crisis.

Jackson, a sixth-grader at Somerset Academy Lone Mountain, conducted a food and toiletry drive at his school to benefit service members returning from combat, and then held a raffle that raised funds to buy toilet paper for veterans in need. With Nellis Air Force Base near his hometown, Jackson said he is accustomed to seeing veterans in his community. But an encounter last August with one vet really made him sad. He was standing in 115-degree heat outside a gas station when Jackson offered him bottled water and a wet washcloth. "He was very kind," said Jackson. "He told me he had a kid and a family but lost everything once he returned from Afghanistan." Jackson knew he wanted to help, not only this man, but others, too. "I hurt to think about veterans losing their dignity to beg when they've risked their life for our freedom," he said.

Jackson contacted a local American Legion post to find out what items veterans needed most. He then got his principal's permission to run a five-day food and toiletry drive at his school, as well as a fundraising raffle at an annual Halloween party. Then he recruited volunteers to help him make signs and figure out the details, and used his own allowance to pay for fliers to send home with students. Jackson also made a video and posted it on Facebook. His food and toiletry drive collected 358 items, while the raffle raised $800, which he used to buy 2,000 rolls of toilet paper, the item the American Legion advised was most in demand. The items were donated to local organizations that help veterans in crisis and provide housing for those receiving medical treatment. "My efforts are a drop in the sea of what needs to be done to help our local veterans," said Jackson. "There are hundreds and hundreds in need of basic help and supplies."

"We're impressed and inspired by the way these honorees have identified problems facing their communities and stepped up to the challenge to make a difference," said Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. "It's a privilege to celebrate their leadership and compassion, and we look forward to seeing the great things they accomplish in the future."

"These students have not only done important work in support of people in need – they've also shown their peers that young people can, and do, create meaningful change," said Christine Handy, president of NASSP. "We commend each of these young volunteers for all they've contributed to their communities."

Youth volunteers in grades 5-12 were invited to apply for 2019 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn Network. More than 29,000 middle level and high school students nationwide participated in this year's program.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program was created in 1995 to identify and recognize young people for outstanding volunteer service – and, in so doing, inspire others to volunteer, too. In the past 24 years, the program has honored more than 125,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.

For more information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year's honorees, 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 principals and other school leaders across the United States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student's potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student. 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 Student Council. Learn more at 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 pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions, visit https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media.

For B-roll of Nevada's honorees at the 2019 national recognition events, contact Prudential's Harold Banks at (973) 216-4833 or [email protected].

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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.