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

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


Lauryn Hinckley, 16, of Bismarck and Evan Knoll, 11, of Fargo today were named North Dakota'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. Lauryn was nominated by Century High School in Bismarck, and Evan was nominated by YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties in Fargo. 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).

Lauryn, a sophomore at Century High School, has collected more than 7,600 pounds of peanut butter and jelly over the past five years to help feed 500 children in her area who don't have enough to eat on weekends. Lauryn will never forget a scene she witnessed in the grocery store when she was 9 years old. "There was a family in front of me with a grocery cart half full of food, most of which had to be put back on the shelves because their mom didn't have enough money to pay for it," she said. "I could not believe that kids my own age were going hungry." Lauryn decided to hold a food drive to help.

Since then, Lauryn's peanut butter and jelly drive has become an annual event in her community. This past year, 20 local schools, eight businesses and five bank branches participated. To prepare for her drive, Lauryn spoke to school principals and businesses, shared a blog she wrote on hunger, and sought interviews with the media. She then designed posters, fliers and T-shirts, and alerted store managers so they could stock enough peanut butter and jelly. Next, Lauryn and about 20 volunteers distributed collection boxes and advertising materials. After the drive, she and her crew picked up and sorted the donated food, and delivered it to United Way, which used it to help fill backpacks sent home with kids in need for the weekend. "It only takes $5 to feed a hungry child on the weekend, and I have been able to help feed over 500 kids for 10 weeks in the last five years," Lauryn said. "My goal is to feed these kids the entire school year!"

Evan, a fifth-grader at Park Christian School, has been volunteering since he was 3 years old at a local homeless center. Evan comes from a family of volunteers. "My inspiration is my mom because when she was younger she served our community and wanted me to have the same understanding of how good it is to help others so I can appreciate all my blessings," he said.

Once a month during the school year, Evan works at a homeless shelter in a variety of capacities. He helps prepare and serve meals, stocks shelves and organizes the pantry, plays games and reads stories to young children there, and sorts and hangs clothes donated for the shelter's Dress for Success program. He also has packed bags containing warm socks, gloves and toiletries to hand out to residents, and has shopped for and delivered Christmas presents to them. In addition, Evan has helped his family raise funds to provide housing for the homeless in Fargo, volunteered at a summer church camp on an Indian reservation, and participated in the planting and maintenance of two community gardens to promote healthy eating.

As State Honorees, Lauryn and Evan 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 judes also recognized two other North Dakota students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.



These are North Dakota's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:

Neelay Patel, 17, of Fargo, N.D., a junior at Davies High School, has raised $500 to benefit the Alzheimer's Association while also volunteering at the organization, answering phones and doing basic office work. Neelay has also volunteered with the North Dakota Special Olympics, the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, and at the hospital Essentia Health, where he spent two summers working in the gift shop, the mail room, and in patient education.


Nathaniel Thoreson, 17, of Fargo, N.D., a senior at Davies High School, co-founded "Quilt for a Cure" in 2012 and has helped to raise $9,000 to help make and distribute 400 handmade quilts with messages of hope to cancer patients and veterans. Nathaniel, who has many relatives who have experienced cancer, has also helped start his school's Leo Club, and serves as a representative for student councils in North Dakota, for which he helped organize a statewide student council food drive.

"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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