[February 09, 2016]

Minnesota's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards Program

Maria Keller, 15, of Plymouth and Jasmine Kennebeck, 12, of Reads Landing today were named Minnesota's top two youth volunteers of 2016 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Maria was nominated by Orono High School in Long Lake, and Jasmine was nominated by Red Wing Family YMCA in Red Wing. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 21st year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Maria, a sophomore at Orono High School, founded a nonprofit called "Read Indeed" when she was 8 years old, and has since collected more than 1.7 million books for children in need in 48 states and 17 other countries. An avid reader who couldn't imagine going to sleep at night without a bedtime story, Maria one day asked her mother why some of her classmates didn't read much and was told that perhaps it was because their parents couldn't afford to buy them books. "I became aware that there are children throughout the country and beyond who have never owned a book," she said. Maria set out to change that.

With her parents' help, she formed her nonprofit and began organizing book drives in her community, which she publicized through the news media and a website. Her goal was to collect one million books by the time she turned 18, a number she exceeded five years early. Initially, people would leave piles of books on her front steps and Maria would store them in her garage, but it wasn't long before the books outgrew her house. Today, Maria has warehouse space to store her books and leads more than 250 volunteers - mostly young people - who twice a month help her sort, box, and distribute them to hospitals, orphanages and schools in the U.S. and abroad. She also has recruited corporate sponsors, applied for grants, and raised more than $80,000 in individual contributions to purchase new books and cover shipping costs. She estimates that her organization has touched the lives of 800,000 children. "I am determined to continue getting books to kids who need them the most," Maria said.

Jasmine, a seventh-grader at Wabasha-Kellogg Secondary School, volunteered eight hours a day last summer at a YMCA 45 miles from her home, requiring that she leave her house at 6 a.m. to fulfill her duties. After Jasmine's mother signed her up to participate in the Red Wing Family YMCA's recreation activities, Jasmine decided to volunteer instead. "I knew volunteering would give me the opportunity to help others and this would make me feel good," she said.

She started and ended each day helping at the front desk, greeting people and checking in members. During the morning, she went to the childcare area and helped the staff play with and care for toddlers while their parents were at the Y. At lunchtime, Jasmine helped with laundry, delivered clean towels and cleaned equipment. For her efforts, Jasmine was nominated for the Y's "Volunteer of the Month." "That was my best summer ever," she said. "I made new friends, learned job responsibilities, and helped people in the community." Jasmine also volunteers to walk dogs at a local animal shelter.

As State Honorees, Maria and Jasmine 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 2016.

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are Minnesota's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:

Emily Albert-Stauning, 15, of St. Paul, Minn., a sophomore at Eagan High School, founded the "Hope For A Better Day - One Note At A Time" benefit concert series, and has raised $2,800 and collected 600 pounds of donated food at two concerts she hosted and organized to benefit people in need. Emily, who sponsored her first benefit concert on her 13th birthday in 2013, has also coordinated clothing drives and raised funds for various carities, and wrote and produced a play called "HERO" about standing up against bullying.

Zakria Ghani, 17, of Maple Grove, Minn., a senior at Al-Amal School, gathered friends and members of the community together to raise $8,500 to support the victims of a devastating fire in the Cedar-Riverside area of Minneapolis. Zakria visited the site of the fire and talked with victims to determine their needs, made and placed donation boxes throughout town, raised awareness of the disaster while seeking donations, and joined forces with community organizations to make and distribute blankets and quilts - all in less than one week.

Jane Hulse, 18, of Mendota Heights, Minn., a senior at Trinity School at River Ridge, wrote a cookbook for teen and pre-teen girls to encourage proper nutrition and discourage skipping meals in an attempt to be thin. Jane, who also volunteers with the program "Renewing the Countryside," an organization that connects small farmers with local schools, has made her cookbook available for free through her website and has distributed it to coaches, troops, eating disorder clinics and healthcare providers.

Madisyn Kephart, 17, of White Bear Lake, Minn., a senior at White Bear Area High School, founded a Unified Volleyball team for youth with and without special needs, and secured $8,000 in funding from local sponsors to purchase equipment for the team. Madisyn, an avid Special Olympics volunteer for many years, worked closely with three friends to organize, coach and play on the team of 12 that went on to play in the State Unified Games.

Heather Weller, 17, of New York Mills, Minn., a junior at New York Mills High School, founded "Thank a Veteran," a project that has collected and distributed more than 45,000 messages of thanks to soldiers sent through email, social media and community events. Heather, originally inspired by a visit to her uncle in a veteran's home, also maintains the "Thank a Veteran" Facebook (News - Alert) page, collects and distributes care packages for active duty soldiers, and records interviews with veterans for the Veterans' History Project for the Library of Congress.

Stuart Wilkins, 18, of Lino Lakes, Minn., a senior at Mahtomedi Senior High School, founded "Blankets for NICU Babies" with his twin sister in 2010, and has since made 800 specially-designed blankets to fit the top of a NICU isolette. Stuart, who along with his sister was born premature and spent seven weeks in the NICU, makes enough blankets so that each child can take one home with them when they are released from the NICU.

"Prudential commends each of these young volunteers for using their creativity and compassion to bring positive change to their communities," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. "We hope their stories inspire others to consider how they can make a difference, too."

"We are pleased to honor these students not only for their exemplary acts of service, but for the powerful example they've set for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "Congratulations to each of the 2016 honorees."

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 HandsOn Network affiliates, 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 2, 10 of the State Honorees - five middle level and five high school students - will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2016. 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 115,000 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 on behalf of President Barack Obama.

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 and 35 countries around the world. 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 Association of Student Councils. 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.

Editors: For full-color pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions, click here: http://bit.ly/Xi4oFW

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160209005115/en/

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