Honolulu and Mililani students earn $1,000
awards, engraved medallions and trip to nation’s capital
Honors also bestowed on youth volunteers in
Lihue and Mt. View
Anna Kimata, 15, of Honolulu and Orren Smith, 11, of Mililani
today were named Hawaii'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. Anna
was nominated by Punahou School in Honolulu, and Orren was
nominated by Hanalani Schools in Mililani. 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).
Anna, a sophomore at Punahou School, organized a project to
collect books and other educational materials for schools in the
small island nation of Palau, where many students lack basic
educational resources. From a very young age, Anna’s parents taught
her the importance of learning and have sacrificed time and money
to send her to an excellent school. “In the United States, every
child is gifted with the chance to attend school, no matter where
they live,” Anna said. But when she interned at the state capitol,
she learned that in many small countries, schools lack the basic
educational resources that Americans take for granted. Anna said
she needed to do something to help students at those schools
“cultivate their love of learning and give them the knowledge to
pursue their dreams.”
After researching small countries in the Pacific, Anna decided
to focus her efforts on Palau, located in Micronesia. She began by
meeting with the country’s president to discuss its educational
needs. Then she wrote letters to request donations, met with
leaders of organizations that could help, and recruited 40
volunteers. When donations began coming in, Anna and her team
sorted through the materials to make sure everything was in good
condition. She then partnered with two companies that agreed to
transport the items. Due to logistical issues, the first shipment
was sent to Saipan - a neighboring island that had been affected by
Typhoon Soudelor - with the understanding that future shipments
would be sent to Palau. To date, Anna’s efforts have gathered more
than $4,000 worth of educational supplies for the students of
Pacific Island countries. “I hope to continue this project in the
future so that I can pay forward the gift of education,” she
said.
Orren, a sixth-grader at Hanalani Schools, arranged for a
presentation on disaster preparedness at his school to educate
students and their families on how to increase their chances of
surviving a natural catastrophe. “I live in Hawaii, and we are at
risk of many natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes and
hurricanes,” said Orren. Last year, he said, was an especially bad
one for hurricanes, and it got him thinking that a lot of people
have no idea how to prepare for a weather emergency. “I think it is
important for residents of Hawaii because our state is isolated and
it could take a while for help to reach us,” he said.
Orren began by researching state guidelines on ways to prepare
for various natural disasters. He then contacted agencies involved
in emergency planning to get more information, obtained permission
from school officials to hold a student assembly, and invited a
Coast Guard officer to be a guest speaker. Orren then prepared
materials for the speaker to use in the presentation and handouts
for the students to take home. More than 150 students attended the
presentation and learned the importance of early planning and ways
to help their families stay safe in the event of a natural
disaster.
As State Honorees, Anna and Orren 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 two other Hawaii students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Hawaii's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:
Britnee Akau, 15, of Lihue, Hawaii, a sophomore at
Kamehameha Schools Kapalama, is an avid volunteer involved in
numerous service projects, and recently collected and distributed
101 books about Hawaii through her “Gift of Aloha Book Drive.” In
addition, Britnee helped combat bullying with presentations to
second graders where she shared her personal experiences as a
bullying victim.
Phillip Palmore, 17, of Mt. View, Hawaii, a senior at
Kea’au High School, has designed and led a project to build an ADA
compliant outdoor walkway and garden for residents of the Hilo
Medical Center Extended Care Facility. Phillip, who began the
project in 2013, worked with architects to ensure his design was in
compliance for wheelchair use, recruited sponsors and volunteers,
and secured funds to support the 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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Prudential FinancialHarold Banks, (973) 802-8974 or (973)
216-4833harold.banks@prudential.com