North Dakota's Top Youth Volunteers of 2021 Selected by National Program

NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cayden Anderson, 18, of Horace and Sawyer Anderson, 11, of Fargo today were named North Dakota's top youth volunteers of 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America's largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service.

As State Honorees, Cayden and Sawyer will each receive a $2,500 scholarship, a silver medallion and an invitation to the program's virtual national recognition celebration in April, where 10 of the 102 State Honorees will be named America's top youth volunteers of the year. Those 10 National Honorees will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their nominating organization and a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit charitable organization of their choice.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades 5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service.

"We created the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 26 years ago to highlight and support the work of young people taking on the challenges of a changing world – a mission that rings truer than ever given the events of last year," said Charles Lowrey, Prudential's chairman and CEO. "We are proud to celebrate the vision and determination of Spirit of Community's Class of 2021, and all the ways they're making their communities safer, healthier and more equitable places to live."

These are North Dakota's top youth volunteers of 2021:

High School State Honoree: Cayden Anderson
Nominated by Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons

Cayden, a senior at Sheyenne High School, created "calm down kits" for classrooms at an early childhood learning center to help teachers and other staff members teach coping and focusing skills to their young students. "As a volunteer church preschool teacher, I've become increasingly aware of the struggles that young children, especially those with anxiety or sensory-related disorders, face when learning emotional intelligence and coping skills," said Cayden. After researching ways that children can be taught to recognize their emotions and calm themselves down, she decided to assemble "calm down" kits based on those strategies and donate them to West Fargo Early Childhood Center.

Cayden first surveyed teachers at the center to determine their needs, and identified activities and materials that have proven useful in calming young children. The next few months were spent collecting donations, shopping for supplies and preparing the kits. They included age-appropriate books about emotions, sensory bottles, pinwheels, laminated materials, supplementary binders and documentation for parents. Cayden delivered 20 kits plus extra supplies to the childhood center, which are now being used by classroom teachers, speech language pathologists and an occupational therapist to benefit more than 150 students. "When children learn to control their emotions and develop calming skills, they will know how to act in a way where they can safely express what they are feeling," she said.

Middle Level State Honoree: Sawyer Anderson
Nominated by Oak Grove Lutheran School

Sawyer, a sixth-grader at Oak Grove Lutheran School, has raised well over $100,000 to dig water wells in communities in need overseas by selling homemade cookies and self-designed handbags, along with a book she wrote and illustrated to educate other children about the scarcity of clean water in parts of Africa.  When her father returned from a church trip to Zambia, he told Sawyer about kids there who had been injured or drowned while trying to get clean water. "All of this just to get water, when we can simply go to the tap or refrigerator," she said. "I instantly thought that it wasn't fair. Every child should have clean water."

Sawyer asked if she could sell cookies at her grandmother's garage sale, hoping to raise $50 for the cause. After collecting more than three times that amount, she continued to sell cookies, eventually raising nearly $5,000. Then she designed a handbag made of a colorful African wax fabric – like one her father had brought back – and got 100 volunteers at her church to sew them. More than 300 bags were sold for $50 each, and one was auctioned off for $6,250 at a charity auction. Next, Sawyer wrote and illustrated a children's book about the challenges that poverty-stricken villages in Africa face in getting safe water. More than 6,000 copies have been sold, each generating $60 with matching funds from two charitable organizations. In addition, Sawyer has spoken at more than 90 schools, churches, businesses, service clubs, nonprofits and other groups, explaining the need to provide clean, pure water to communities in need overseas.

State Honorees in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Class of 2021 – the top middle level and high school volunteer from all 50 states and the District of Columbia – were selected for service initiatives completed, at least in part, between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. Selection was based on criteria including impact, effort, initiative and the personal growth demonstrated over the course of the project. Several Distinguished Finalists and runners-up were also selected in each state, and all qualifying applicants received President's Volunteer Service Awards. 

"It speaks volumes about the character of today's secondary school students that the Spirit of Community program heard from more than 21,000 applicants this fall – most of them stories of young volunteers overcoming the hardships of a global pandemic to support those in need," said Ronn Nozoe, Chief Executive Officer, NASSP. "While we're especially proud to celebrate this year's 102 State Honorees, NASSP applauds every student who's found a way to volunteer this past year. You inspire your peers and adults alike to remember that, even in times of crisis, we all have something to give."

To read the names and stories of all of this year's State Honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.

About Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com. 

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 http://nassp.org.

SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.

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