Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards honor young people in middle level and high school grades for outstanding volunteer service to their communities.
To learn more and apply visit: http://www.prudential.com/spirit
Jacob Buss, 17, of Tecumseh and Alexandra Linder, 11, of Oakland today were named Nebraska's top two youth volunteers for 2009. Jacob, a senior at Johnson County Central High School, is a leader in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life fund-raiser. Alexandra, a fifth-grader at West Point Elementary School in West Point, makes cloth diapers out of used T-shirts for babies in Honduras, and provides layette kits of basic clothing items for infants in other third-world countries.
As state honorees each will receive a $1,000 award, an engraved silver medallion, and a trip to Washington D.C.
Jordan Somer, 15, of Papillion, a sophomore at Central High School in Omaha, and Sydney Swanson, 17, of Alliance, a member of the Box Butte County 4-H and a junior at Alliance High School, have been named Distinguished Finalists. Jordan developed a “Miss Amazing Pageant” to help girls and women with disabilities build self-esteem in a secure environment. Jordan, a former National American Miss Nebraska Junior Teen and a volunteer for Special Olympics, celebrated 15 young women at her first pageant, and collected donations of $1,400 and 200 pounds of food from attendees to benefit local food pantries and community organizations. Sydney organized a donation drive that collected 125 winter coats for less fortunate children in her town, plus another 50 for developmentally disabled adults. She then secured a grant to expand her drive to other cities in Nebraska. Jordan and Sydney will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
“The recipients of these awards vividly demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said John R. Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. “They truly deserve all of the praise and encouragement we can give them.”
“Congratulations to this year’s state winners in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards,” stated Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. “The hard work and determination that these students have exhibited in trying to make a difference in the lives of others is remarkable.”
Created in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the awards constitute the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteering. Since its inception, the program has honored more than 75,000 young volunteers at the local, state, and national level.