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New Mexico's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards ProgramCameron Estrada, 17, of Roswell and Cody Osborn, 13, of Belen today were named New Mexico'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. Cameron was nominated by Roswell High School in Roswell, and Cody was nominated by Holy Ghost Catholic School in Albuquerque. 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). Cameron, a senior at Roswell High School, formed a therapy group at her high school to help girls deal with the pressures of being a teenager. Cameron herself was feeling very stressed from the demands of schoolwork and extracurricular activities when she decided to seek the advice of her school's mental health counselor. "This visit led to my discovery that there were probably many other teens at my high school that were having the same issues," she said. A therapy group, she thought, might help address these issues. Cameron began convening lunch meetings with girls whom she thought would benefit. As word got out, participation in her meetings increased, with as many as 30 girls showing up. In addition to dynamic discussions, the meetings often feature guest speakers on issues such as healthy eating habits, dating violence, alcohol and substance abuse and suicide prevention. Cameron also leads her group in an annual drive to collect necessities for the homeless. Due to the success of her initiative, a similar group has sprung up for boys at the school, and a local middle school has followed suit. In addition, Cameron is now advocating for teens across the country by serving on the National Youth Advisory Council for School Based Health Centers in Washington, D.C. Cody, an eighth-grader at Holy Ghost Catholic School, has volunteered as a group leader and games facilitator over the past three years at his parish's summer vacation Bible school camp. "I first got involved with the camp when I saw a flier at my parish announcing the camp, and how volunteers were needed to put on the program," said Cody. "I have come back to this program every year since it was fun and provided a way to serve my parish." For the first two years, Cody was a group leader, responsible for guiding an assigned age group to various activities throughout the weeklong camp. More recently, he has assisted two adults in administering games for the young campers, such as water-balloon baseball. He prepares materials for each day's events, and cleans up after each session. Cody also has recruited some of his friends to come and help. "I get a sense of accomplishment and joy from this project, seeing the smiles on kids' faces as they have fun," he said. "It has shown me the great feeling doing service gives me, and brings me back to it every year." As State Honorees, Cameron and Cody 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 sudents will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2016. Distinguished Finalists The program judges also recognized two other New Mexico students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion. These are New Mexico's Distinguished Finalists for 2016: Joseph Davis, 18, of Belen, N.M., a senior at Belen High School, spearheaded a drive two years in a row that has provided at least 100 frozen turkeys and $3,000 in monetary donations for food to support Thanksgiving dinners at two local food pantries. Joseph, who was asked in 2014 to lead the National Wild Turkey Federation program Turkey Hunter's Care Drive, wrote and distributed a funding letter to local businesses for donations and price discounts and worked with a partner in 2015 with the goal of increasing the amount of donations. Joanna O'Neill, 18, of Los Alamos, N.M., a member of the Los Alamos County 4-H and a senior at Los Alamos High School, is the youngest certified member of the National Ski Patrol in Los Alamos, where she has been volunteering for the past four years. Joanna, who is a mentor in the Young Adult Patroller program to encourage other youth to get involved, also administers first aid, transports patients and enforces ski area rules. "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/20160209005144/en/ |
