America’s Top Ten Youth Volunteers Named in 16th Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

For their extraordinary efforts in serving others through volunteerism, ten middle and high school students from across the country were named America’s top ten youth volunteers for 2011 today in a ceremony at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters, capping the 16^th year of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

Ranging in age from 11 to 18, the ten National Honorees received personal awards of $5,000, engraved gold medallions, crystal trophies for the schools that nominated them, and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for the charities of their choice.

The ceremony was part of a four-day celebration that brought the top two youth volunteers from each state to Washington, D.C., with their parents, to be recognized for their outstanding acts of community service. Selected as State Honorees in February from more than 29,000 participants across the country, they were personally congratulated by Academy Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon at a gala dinner reception last night at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

The ten National Honorees named today were selected on the basis of their personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth. They are:

Justin Churchman, 18, of El Paso, Texas, who has raised more than $48,000 and recruited more than 75 volunteers to build 18 houses in Juarez, Mexico, despite the rampant drug wars that have frightened away many other American volunteers.

Sarah Cronk, 18, of Bettendorf, Iowa, who co-founded a cheerleading squad at her high school that includes students with disabilities, and then formed a nonprofit corporation that encourages teens across the country to start similar squads at their schools.

Rocco Fiorentino, 14, of Voorhees, N.J., who is a dedicated advocate for children who are blind like him or visually impaired, striving over the past nine years to increase government funding for Braille services and educate others about the abilities of people with visual challenges.

Jeffrey Hanson, 17, of Overland Park, Kan., who has generated more than $225,000 for various local and national charities over the past five years by selling and donating original paintings and other artistic creations, despite having a genetic condition that causes severe loss of vision.

Cassandra Lin, 13, of Westerly, R.I., who launched a program that collects more than 36,000 gallons of waste cooking oil a year from 95 restaurants and thousands of households in nine towns in Rhode Island and Connecticut, and converts it into heating fuel for needy families.

Aimee Matheson, 18, of Clearfield, Utah, who coordinated the building of a day-care and community center in Guatemala so that impoverished single mothers would have a safe and nurturing place for their children while they are at work.

Tyler Page, 14, of Brentwood, Calif., who held a car wash hoping to rescue just one child from being sold into slavery in Ghana, but ended up sparking a kids’ fund-raising enterprise that has involved hundreds of young people and has generated more than $100,000 for a variety of children’s causes.

Rachel Wheeler, 11, of Lighthouse Point, Fla., who launched a fund-raising campaign that has raised more than $162,000 to build a new 25-home village in Leogane, Haiti, near the epicenter of the earthquake that occurred in January 2010.

Glennita Williams, 14, of South Holland, Ill., who has collected snacks and personal care items worth more than $14,000, including more than 600 pounds of Hostess Twinkies, for shipment to American troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past four years.

Rujul Zaparde, 16, of Plainsboro, N.J., who co-founded a nonprofit organization that has motivated more than 450 students at 23 schools to raise funds that have been used to dig over 30 water wells in rural India.

"These exemplary honorees represent young Americans who have a strong sense of community and who are dedicated to improving our neighborhoods, our nation and our world,” said John R. Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. "With great anticipation, we look forward to their future achievements as they continue to spread the spirit of community.”

"The Prudential Spirit of Community honorees have seen problems in their communities and around the world and have taken action,” said Ms. Sarandon. "Their compassion to help others should give us all a lot of hope for the future.”

The national selection committee that chose the ten National Honorees was chaired by Strangfeld of Prudential and included Jana Frieler, president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals; Michelle Nunn, president and CEO of the Points of Light & HandsOn Network; Marguerite Kondracke, president and CEO of the America’s Promise Alliance; Donald T. Floyd Jr., president and CEO of National 4-H Council; Pamela Farr, the American Red Cross’ national chair of volunteers; Jaclyn Libowitz, chief operating officer and chief of staff for Girl Scouts of the USA; Felix Rouse, vice president of resource development for the southeast region of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Elson Nash, associate director for project management at the Corporation for National and Community Service; Michael Cohen, president and CEO of Achieve, Inc.; and two 2010 Prudential Spirit of Community National Honorees: Shannon McNamara of Basking Ridge, N.J., and Benjamin Sater of Plano, Texas.

Conducted in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created 16 years ago by Prudential to encourage youth volunteerism and to identify and reward young role models.

Applications for the 2011 awards program were submitted last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of the Points of Light Institute’s HandsOn Network. More than 5,000 Local Honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected the top middle level and high school applicants in each state and the District of Columbia. These State Honorees each received a $1,000 prize and an engraved silver medallion, in addition to an all-expense-paid trip to Washington for this week’s events.

"The young women and men in America’s schools are nothing short of amazing, and nowhere is this more evident than amongst this year’s award recipients,” said NASSP President Jana Frieler. "They possess a keen intellect, servant hearts, capable leadership skills, and are filled with energy and ambition. NASSP and Prudential are honored to recognize them.”

Also honored on Sunday night were ten top youth volunteers from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland and India who won Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in their countries in recent months. They were congratulated by Strangfeld and presented with special commemorative trophies.

More information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year’s honorees can be found at http://spirit.prudential.com or www.principals.org/spirit.

NASSP is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. NASSP provides research-based professional development and resources, networking, and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development as well, 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.

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, investment management, and real estate services. 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 http://www.news.prudential.com/

[Editors: full-color pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions are available at http://spirit.prudential.com. Digital photos of the National Honorees are available by calling Harold Banks of Prudential at 973-802-8974 or 973-216-4833.]