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North Carolina's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards Program
[February 09, 2016]

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


Karigan McCurry, 18, of Gastonia and Abbigail Adler, 14, of Greenville today were named North Carolina'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. Karigan was nominated by Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia, and Abbigail was nominated by Girl Scouts North Carolina Coastal Pines in Raleigh. 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).

Karigan, a senior at Hunter Huss High School, started volunteering for a youth suicide prevention organization after a close friend took her own life, and then branched out into numerous other service activities that benefit her community. "I will never forget the night I got the call that my best friend had committed suicide," said Karigan. "I was in shock and disbelief at first. I even called her phone to see if she would answer. I was just hoping it wasn't true." When the shock wore off, Karigan was left to deal with guilt. She and her friend had gone to separate high schools and drifted apart. Maybe, Karigan thought, she could have done something to help, if only she had known.

Turning to the internet for answers and consolation, Karigan discovered The Jason Foundation and decided she wanted to support its mission of educating people about youth suicide and making desperate teens understand that suicide is not their only option. She started a small support group at school, and then visited middle and high schools to educate staff and students with a PowerPoint presentation and printed literature.

Karigan also has helped raise funds for the Jason Foundation at events such as an annual golf tournament. Her work with the foundation has motivated Karigan to seek out other volunteer opportunities in her area. For example, she has assisted an animal rescue agency with pet adoptions, collected leashes for an animal spay/neuter clinic, sold shirts to help find missing schoolgirls in Africa, and raised money for autism awareness. "These things make my heart happy!" said Karigan.

Abbigail, an eighth-grader at The Oakwood School, launched an online business selling jewelry and personalized items to raise money for organizations that work to end violence in the Middle East. In school, Abbigail learned about the Middle East and clashes between cultures and religions in that volatile part of the world. "This violence does nothing but kill innocent people and worsen relationships between different cultures," she said. "I want to do something to change that."

As someone who loves art, Abbigail saw an opportunity to use her artistic skills and creativity to promote peace in the Middle East. She used her own savings and some donations to start her business, then began creating beautiful and useful products, built a website to sell them (www.artsforisrael.org), and designed a logo and business cards. Abbigail spends at least five hours a week making her artistic creations, filling orders and updating and marketing her online store. At the end of each month, she donates her profits - more than $500 so far - to organizations that, according to her research, "come together to stop the devastation and violence on a large scale, and promote peace in our world today."

As State Honorees, Karigan and Abbigail 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 North Carolina students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

These are North Carolina's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:

Breanna Barbosa, 18, of Clayton, N.C., a senior at Johnston County Early College Academy, has been volnteering during the past two summers at the Duke University Hospital in its Children's Health Center, where she plays games and does projects with the children, many who are terminally ill. In 2015, Breanna was asked to serve as the center's lead volunteer.



Omar Benallal, 17, of High Point, N.C., a senior at High Point Central High School, created a curriculum, taught science and math classes, and provided extra help for students at the local middle school to give them the support they need to pass their final exams. Omar, who recently expanded to a second school and recruited four teen volunteer tutors to help, also recently founded the "American Alliance for Education" with plans to host a charity walk to raise funds to offer a scholarship.

Allyson Costner, 17, of Bessemer City, N.C., a senior at Bessemer City High School, began actively volunteering at a local nursing home in 2012, organizing activities and events and making and distributing welcome kits to new residents to make them feel welcome and involved. Allyson, who noticed on her frequent visits to her great-grandmothers that many nursing home residents seem lonely, has also formed a group of friends and community members who have helped raise $1,130, and also help plan and implement events and coordinate greeting card campaigns.


Maria Ysabelle Cruzat, 17, of Winston-Salem, N.C., a senior at Early College of Forsyth, has been volunteering since 2011 as both an activities volunteer and most recently as a camp counselor with Camp Hope, a Christian summer camp for children who have been abused. Maria, who one day hopes to start an orphanage in her home country of the Philippines, helped her church raise $3,500 to support the camp, for which she leads the children in daily activities and small group Bible lessons.

Nolan Davis, 17, of Mount Olive, N.C., a senior at Wayne Country Day School, has raised $22,255 and donated more than 2,200 new books to support Reach Out and Read, a literacy campaign that provides books to children through their well visits to their pediatricians across the country. Nolan, motivated to act when he learned that his pediatrician participates in the program, wrote letters encouraging local businesses to donate funds, and hosted book drives to support the campaign.

Bethany Forehand, 15, of Moyock, N.C., a sophomore at Currituck County High, participated with the Youth Girls on Mission by helping with a coat and blanket drive and preparing and serving a Thanksgiving meal for 100 residents at the Elizabeth City Women's Shelter. Bethany, who also helped secure $1,500 in funding from Women on Mission to cover expenses for the meal, in turn helped that organization with many activities, including nursing home visits, the Basket of Blessing program and the Kit for Kids project.

"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


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