DOVER, Del., Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Maricruz Contreras, 16, of Wilmington and Jenna Dewey, 13, of Felton today were named Delaware's top two youth volunteers of 2018 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Maricruz and Jenna each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in late April 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 2018.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 23rd year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
These are Delaware's top youth volunteers of 2018:
High School State Honoree: Maricruz Contreras
Nominated by Delaware Design-Lab High School in Newark
Maricruz, a junior at Delaware Design-Lab High School, plays a leadership and advocacy role in several organizations to support LGBT+ youth and educate the public about the challenges facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. "Seeing and experiencing first-hand the lack of knowledge and support for the LGBT+ community, I realized that it had to change, and that was when I knew that the idea of me being an advocate was key to my personal growth as a gay adolescent," said Maricruz.
Maricruz has served as a mentor and leader in her high school's Pride Club, teaching staff and students about the difficulties faced by LGBT+ students and how to foster a more supportive school environment. As a member of the national student council of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), she writes blog posts, plans and assists with yearly events, and led the network's Latinx Heritage Month activities last year. Maricruz also is involved in educational outreach in conjunction with LGBT+ History Month, and promotes safe-sex education as a member of Planned Parenthood of Delaware's teen council. Most recently, Maricruz helped teach lessons at an annual anti-bullying conference and performed a stand-up comedy routine on LGBT+ stereotypes. "I take pride in who I am, and want to instill that in others," she said.
Middle Level State Honoree: Jenna Dewey
Nominated by Postlethwait Middle School in Camden
Jenna, an eighth-grader at Postlethwait Middle School, collected nearly 1,500 books and several pieces of furniture to create a new children's library at a local homeless shelter. Wanting to make a "strong, lasting" impact on her community, Jenna sent an email to her school principal asking if she could conduct a book drive at the school to benefit kids at a family shelter in Dover. "After hearing my idea, she gladly allowed me to share the plan with staff and students at our school, and they embraced the challenge," she said.
Jenna made announcements to the student body and hung posters throughout the school, then created drop boxes to collect donated books. The response was so positive that she expanded her drive to all of the schools in her school district. As donations poured in, Jenna spent hours counting and labeling each book before packing them all up and delivering them to The Shepherd Place shelter. In addition to the 1,460 books that she provided, Jenna procured and painted three children's chairs for the new library, and furnished three additional plastic chairs, a table and two bookshelves as well. "I felt extremely proud knowing that the amount of effort I had put in was actually going to pay off and make a difference in my community," said Jenna.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized two other Delaware students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Delaware's Distinguished Finalists for 2018:
Sophia Andrews, 16, of Bear, Del., a sophomore at Wellspring Christian Academy, is the founder of "Ngoma Kenya," a nonprofit dedicated to supporting orphaned children in Nairobi through dance and other arts programming; she also dedicates the money she earns from babysitting to supporting three Kenyan children.
Inspired to start her nonprofit by the kids she met during a service trip to a Nairobi orphanage, Sophia has returned to the orphanage to teach dance classes, and has fundraised for clothes and school supplies as well.
Lake Vasey, 16, of Lincoln, Del., a member of Kent County 4-H and a sophomore at Water Girl Farm Academy Home School, is a longtime active member and current club officer with her 4-H, helping with events from holiday activities to chapter fundraisers, and serving as a counselor at 4-H Younger Member Weekend camp. Lake is also an active volunteer outside of 4-H, lending a hand with community activities from teaching Sunday school to keeping a local road clean in memory of her late sister.
"Prudential is proud to recognize these remarkable young people for using their energy, creativity and compassion to bring meaningful change to their communities," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. "We hope their stories inspire others to consider how they can do the same."
"These middle level and high school students have not only improved the lives of the people and communities they've served – they also set an important example for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "These honorees prove that you're never too young to make a difference."
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 affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn Network, 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 April 30, 10 of the State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2018. 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 120,000 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, Brazil and Poland. 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 middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States. 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 Student Council. 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.
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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