Alabama's Top Youth Volunteers Of 2020 Selected By National Program

MONTGOMERY, Ala., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Lindsey Wood, 17, of Thorsby and Brooke Bennett, 12, of Montgomery today were named Alabama's top two youth volunteers of 2020 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Lindsey and Brooke 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 2020. 

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 25^th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

These are Alabama's top youth volunteers of 2020:

High School State Honoree: Lindsey Wood
Nominated by Thorsby High School

Lindsey, a junior at Thorsby High School, has made and sold more than 10,000 hair bows over the past seven years to provide more than $7,000 worth of essential items for children entering the foster care system. Lindsey was inspired to create her "Bows That Bless" initiative by her best friend, who was adopted after being in foster care. From conversations with her friend and her adoptive mother, Lindsey said she learned that "when children enter foster care, they usually have nothing more than the clothes on their backs." Coincidentally, at about the same time, Lindsey learned how to sew hair bows and realized that she could help foster kids by selling her handmade creations.

She sells each bow, which takes about five minutes to make, at schools, festivals and boutiques. She also hosts bow-making parties to encourage other students to raise money for local foster parents, and organizes breakfasts for National Foster Care Month and National Adoption Month. With the money she raises, Lindsey fills backpacks or diaper bags with items such as clothing, pajamas, bottles, blankets and stuffed animals, and donates them to agencies that place children with foster parents. "This makes the process of entering foster care more comforting and smoother for the children," said Lindsey. In addition, she helps organize countywide clothing drives for a children's home, speaks at schools to advocate on behalf of foster children, and volunteers at a foster care camp each year.

Middle Level State Honoree: Brooke Bennett
Nominated by Saint James School

Brooke, a seventh-grader at Saint James School, has worked with her twin, Breanna, to assemble and distribute approximately 200 bags of feminine hygiene products and toiletries every month to girls who otherwise might have to miss school during their periods because they can't afford personal care products. Their mother used to work at a school in a low-income area, and often brought personal care items because many girls there couldn't buy their own. "I thought that girls at other schools must be having the same problem," said Brooke. From research, she learned that "period poverty" keeps 20 percent of girls out of school during their monthly cycle because they don't have the proper protection. "People often think this is a problem that affects only poor girls in Africa, Asia and South America," said Brooke. "However, girls right here in Alabama and throughout the United States suffer, too."

So Brooke persuaded her sister to help her address this need. Last July, on their 12th birthday, they asked for donations instead of gifts, and convinced friends to do the same. After recruiting a group of student and adult volunteers and filing for nonprofit status, the sisters began collecting monetary and product donations through Facebook, a GoFundMe page and media interviews. Every month, the sisters assemble kits that include sanitary napkins, tampons, wet wipes, lotion, deodorant and other toiletries, which are then distributed to girls in need. An important component of their project is education, so they also include information from the Alabama Department of Health about menstrual health and how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.     

Distinguished Finalists

The program judges also recognized four other Alabama students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

These are Alabama's Distinguished Finalists for 2020:

Anna Lee, 17, of Saraland, Alabama, a senior at UMS-Wright Preparatory School, partnered with a friend on a service project to benefit local teens experiencing housing instability; together, they collected and donated more than $1,500 in gift cards, as well as basic toiletries and linens. Anna spread awareness of her project by speaking at a school assembly, creating flyers and promoting a social media and email campaign.

Chayce Pyfrom, 17, of Huntsville, Alabama, a senior at Oakwood Adventist Academy, regularly volunteers his time to Free2Teach, an organization that has given free school supplies to more than 3,800 teachers in three local school districts; he helps sort and organize donations, complete inventories and has recruited his brother to start volunteering as well. Chayce was inspired to start this activity by his grandmother, who regularly contributes her time to charitable initiatives.

Anushka Sikdar, 17, of Mobile, Alabama, a junior at Alabama School of Mathematics & Science, founded "Light The Way," through which she has donated more than 500 homemade pillows to children with cancer; along with sewing the pillows, she has held pillow-making events and fabric drives, and auctioned off pillows to raise money for the Mitchell Cancer Institute. Anushka was inspired to start this initiative after her brother died from acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Anna Wilkes, 18, of Pelham, Alabama, a senior at Pelham High School, helped create a community service project, "Kits For Kids," that provided backpacks filled with clothes, toys and hygiene products to children in the foster care system; her efforts included running a fundraising campaign and organizing a toy and clothing drive. Anna and her service group ultimately raised more than $2,400, which they used to buy additional materials and donate to a foster care agency.

"In our 25^th year of honoring young volunteers, we are as inspired as ever by the work students are doing to address the needs of a changing world," said Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. "We hope that their resolve, their initiative and their perspectives on society's challenges move others to consider how they can make a difference, too."

"Middle level and high school students are doing remarkable things to shape the future of their communities through volunteer service. They inspire all students and schools to drive learning with real-world challenges," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "Congratulations to each of the 2020 honorees – it's an honor to celebrate your commitment to creating positive change."

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 Points of Light Global Network members, 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 4, 10 of the State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2020. These National Honorees will receive additional $5,000 scholarships, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from Prudential for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice.  

Since the program began in 1995, more than 130,000 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.

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 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.

For Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallion graphics, please visit https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media

SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.

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