The 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

National Volunteer Week is April 21-27th.

As in years past on this blog, I'm celebrating the spirit of volunteerism by sharing the stories of some state honorees with the Prudential Spirit of Community awards program. 

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. Since 1995, more than 345,000 young Americans have participated in the program. Each year, the program’s judges select 102 State Honorees to receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. where, on May 6th, 10 of them will be named National Honorees. You can watch the live webcast of the May 6^th event here
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Because this blog is a milblog, out of the many, many outstanding young people who have been chosen as state honorees, I like to feature particularly those young people who have worked to support the U.S.Military.

They are:

Eric Curl 14, of Flower Mound, Texas, an eighth-grader at Shadow Ridge Middle School, purchased and collected supplies that are needed, but not always available, for wounded soldiers in Afghanistan. Eric had earlier helped out at a USO appreciation event for servicemen as they prepared to depart for Afghanistan. “I was inspired that day by the soldiers I spent time with,” he said. “They are our heroes.” So when he later learned that military medical units overseas often lacked certain supplies needed for the care of wounded troops, “I knew I had to step in and take on this opportunity,” said Eric.

He reached out to a nonprofit organization called Soldiers’ Angels to identify the specific items needed and find out where to send them. He asked friends and family members to help him collect donated items and contributions from local businesses and community members, and organized a car wash to buy additional supplies and pay for shipping. Eric had planned on securing enough supplies – including sheets for evacuation gurneys, sweat suits for evacuating soldiers, and personal comfort items – for 50 service members, but ended up with enough to help hundreds. He then recruited adults and fellow Boy Scouts to help sort and package the supplies. “I will never know the names of the soldiers I was able to help,” said Eric. But “there is no way we as citizens of the U.S. can thank them enough.”

 

and

 

Darlee Hyatt 19, of Riverton, Wyo., a senior at Wind River Middle/High School, helped raise $20,000 over the past two years for veterans and people with cancer in her community by working on an annual week of fundraising activities at her school. The first year, when her school began planning an event to assist two local women who were fighting cancer, Darlee immediately jumped in to help. “I felt it was important to be part of a group who touched the lives of others in a positive way,” she said. The $10,000 raised was split evenly between the two women to help pay for treatment and other needs.

Darlee was even more motivated the following year when the school chose local veterans to be the beneficiaries of its fundraising, since her cousin had served two tours in Iraq. Darlee helped plan the week of fundraising activities, visited local businesses to seek donations, and helped conduct a silent auction during boys and girls basketball games. Again, the week produced $10,000, which went to support the families of two local military veterans. Darlee has volunteered to be the main organizer of this year’s event. “I love the idea of helping someone when they need it most,” she said.

 

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It is always a privilege to be invited by the Prudential Spirit of Community awards to share the stories of these inspiring young volunteers like Eric and Darlee, and it's always so uplifting to hear how these young people have worked to support the U.S.military service men and women.

 

If you'd like to learn more about this year's honorees, you can go by the awards website ,  or 'like' their page on Facebook , or follow on Twitter , or check out their YouTube channel   for interviews with past honorees.

 

Many thanks,to this wonderful program that recognizes the extraordinary volunteers among young people each year! and many thanks for contacting this blog again to help share their stories.

 

 

 

Interview with a Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Honoree

Back in April, I posted for the second year about the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

I was recently contacted about a chance to interview one of this year's honorees, and below is my interview with this inspiring young volunteer, Krystal Shirrell

Krystal Shirrell. Krystal, 18, of Brownsburg, Ind., a senior at Brownsburg High School, has engaged in a variety of activities to assist and support U.S. veterans and soldiers. While attending a workshop organized by her sister to make hats for cancer patients, Krystal heard someone talking about how patients undergoing kidney dialysis treatment often struggle to control their body temperature. Shortly afterward Krystal was at a Veterans Day banquet when she learned that many veterans need dialysis, and an idea took shape: she could make lap blankets to help kidney-damaged veterans stay warm during treatment. Krystal spent up to eight hours making each blanket. She also taught middle school students and senior citizens at a local nursing home how to make the blankets. So far, she has delivered more than 250 of them to the local VA hospital. On one visit, she learned about the VA’s domiciliary program for homeless vets, and immediately wanted to do something for these veterans as well. She conducted a collection drive that provided more than 5,000 needed items for vets in the program, and she hosts monthly bingo nights for them, too. In addition, Krystal designed a “thank-you” coloring sheet for elementary school students to send to veterans, and launched a campaign to send decorated Christmas trees and care packages with special gift items to troops over the holidays. Krystal says she wants to “let veterans know the younger generation has not forgotten them and is reaching out with thanks and support.

How young were you when you first began volunteering?

I can remember community service activities from a very early age. I remember collecting pop tabs as a preschooler and kindergarten student for the Ronald McDonald House and I made ornaments in Daisy Girl Scouts to hang on our town’s tree during the annual Christmas Sing. From there, many activities resulted in volunteering for various community service initiatives. During the past several years, my service to country and community further developed as the result of a passion I acquired for our military troops, veterans, wounded warriors and their families.

Why was volunteering important to you?

“I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.” This is the Girl Scout Law. For some, it is simply words. For me, one phrase, “make the world a better place,” has become a mission statement that has shaped my life and helped prepare me for the future.

I was brought up in a household where my parents always encouraged volunteerism. I am also a life time Girl Scout so service to others has always been an important aspect of my life and a strong emphasis for me and my sister. My older sister also set the stage. She started her own nonprofit organization called Hats of Hope which provides hand knitted hats to cancer patients. So basically I just followed her lead. I saw her do something really incredible and I wanted to do that too and I wanted to make a difference. I started with something small and it has really been incredible to see the effort grow.

What is the biggest change that volunteering has brought to your life?

Being a volunteer has changed my life immensely. Volunteering actually is what made me determine what I want to do with my life and what my future plans are hopefully going to be. For the longest time I thought I wanted to be an Athletic Trainer. However, after I started volunteering and working with veterans, I realized that is where my passion lies and that’s what I want to do with my life. So now I am in college to pursue a degree as a pharmacist and I would like to work at a veteran’s hospital. I just want to give back to those who have served for me and getting paid to do so is just a bonus.

Did your family have a military connection before you began volunteering to support veterans and the troops?

There is no immediate family military connection. I just looked around and saw the brave men and women who fight for our country and I wanted to do something of service for those who have served.

What would you say was the most challenging part of your volunteer work?

For me it has been difficult to deal with all my emotions and the emotions that come along with volunteering. I have spent a lot of time with homeless veterans and it breaks my heart to know that these men and women can go and fight and put their lives on the line for my freedom and come back to the states and have no place to call home. I think the easiest way to overcome this has been to allow myself to be emotional. Others do not see it as a weakness but rather it is me just putting my whole heart into what I am doing and how passionate I really am about helping. The veterans will give me a hug and thank me a hundred times for the smallest things I do even for something as small as just hanging out with them. It has also been difficult to come to grips with the fact I cannot help everyone – that’s probably the most challenging part of it all.

What advice would you give to someone your age looking for a volunteer opportunity?

Being a volunteer is something to be really proud of and even through the smallest acts of kindness you would be surprised at what a difference you can make and how big of an impact you can have on other people. Being really involved in your community or with service projects is not something to be embarrassed about; it is awesome and really something to value. It is easy to make a difference. Just look around and you will see endless opportunities to help. People often think they need a foundation or strong financial support to make a difference, when in fact, quite the opposite is true. All it takes is a little passion. Find something that interests you, develop a passion, and use that passion to do something outside yourself. Don’t give up on volunteering when things get rough because it is during those times that I have gotten to experience some of the most incredible things. There is nothing more personally rewarding than service to others and nothing more powerful than making a difference in the community.

What plans do you have for future volunteer work?

The results of my activities have further instilled in me the importance of making a positive contribution to society. I want to teach current and future generations the value of community service. Even though I am out of state at college, I am mentoring younger students back home to insure continuation of service to our veterans. I am involved in a leadership class at Iowa and our group has elected to expand the service efforts to our veterans in Iowa City. I have also just begun volunteering with the Domestic Violence Intervention Program with a few of my softball teammates.

Through contacts at the Indianapolis VA, I learned about an opportunity to organize a medical team to provide services in the Amazon. I have begun to lay ground work and look forward to making the trip in the next few years as a pharmacy student. After completing my degree, I envision myself working at a VA hospital or medical center as a pharmacist, perhaps specializing in oncology. I aspire to have a career of service and make a valuable contribution to society.

 

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Thank you, Krystal, for the interview!

 

And thank you to Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, for honoring young volunteers such as Krystal.

 

Do you perhaps know of a young volunteer who should apply for the 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards? Applications can be found at their  website and must be completed by Nov.6 ,2012

 

 

 

 

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 2012

I posted last year about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

and was pleased to receive an email this past week alerting me that this year's State Honorees and Distinguished finalist have been chosen.

What are these awards? Created in 1995, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service, and is a truly remarkable program! Each year, the program’s judges select 102 State Honorees-two from each state and the district of Columbia- to receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. where the students will tour the capital’s landmarks, attend a gala awards ceremony, and visit congressional representatives on Capitol Hill.

While in D.C., 10 of the State Honorees will be named National Honorees on May 7th. These 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. This wonderful trip is designed to not only thank the students for all their hard work, but to also recognize their efforts and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.

 

The program has a YouTube page and this PSA tells a bit more about the program.

 

 

You can search the honorees Here  and once the list of honorees appears, you can sort it alphabetically by name, project type, honor, or state by clicking on the appropriate column heading.

Since this blog is all about 'supporting the troops', I wanted to feature those State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists whose volunteer service was devoted to supporting servicemen and women.

The two State Honorees were:

Rebel Rauterkus   17, of Freedom, Wyo., a member of the Lincoln County 4-H and a senior at Star Valley High School in Afton, raised more than $2,000 for the local American Legion Post by buying and raising two hogs, which were then raffled off to the public. Rebel, whose family members are active volunteers, appreciates how much local veterans do for her community and how little they ask in return. When she heard that the organization was in need of money, she knew she had to help. Her family had raffled off prize-winning hogs in the past to support local causes, so Rebel decided she would use money from her savings account to do the same. “When I met with members at the American Legion, they thought I needed money,” said Rebel. “When I said I wanted to make money to give to them, there were overcome with emotion. Several wept.”  As a 4-Her, Rebel knew the qualities she wanted in a hog. “I traveled to several breeders and (pig) sales and knew exactly what I was looking for,” she said. “Show pigs require lots of time, exercise and loving care.” After she had chosen her “boys,” as she referred to them, Rebel had 161 days to raise “the best quality meat on the market.” Last September, Rebel’s efforts paid off at the raffle when community members lined up for a chance to win Rebel’s pork. “The response and results were overwhelming,” she said. With her donation, the Alpine American Legion Post 46 will now be able to make more improvements to their ball field and continue to provide full military honors services at veterans’ funerals, she said.

Krystal Shirrell 18, of Brownsburg, Ind., a senior at Brownsburg High School, has engaged in a variety of activities to assist and support U.S. veterans and soldiers. While attending a workshop organized by her sister to make hats for cancer patients, Krystal heard someone talking about how patients undergoing kidney dialysis treatment often struggle to control their body temperature. Shortly afterward Krystal was at a Veterans Day banquet when she learned that many veterans need dialysis, and an idea took shape: she could make lap blankets to help kidney-damaged veterans stay warm during treatment.  Krystal spent up to eight hours making each blanket. She also taught middle school students and senior citizens at a local nursing home how to make the blankets. So far, she has delivered more than 250 of them to the local VA hospital. On one visit, she learned about the VA’s domiciliary program for homeless vets, and immediately wanted to do something for these veterans as well. She conducted a collection drive that provided more than 5,000 needed items for vets in the program, and she hosts monthly bingo nights for them, too. In addition, Krystal designed a “thank-you” coloring sheet for elementary school students to send to veterans, and launched a campaign to send decorated Christmas trees and care packages with special gift items to troops over the holidays. Krystal says she wants to “let veterans know the younger generation has not forgotten them and is reaching out with thanks and support.”

and the Distinguished Finalists( two to 10 runners-up in each state are named Distinguished Finalists and receive a bronze medallion) were:

Morgan Bowen  18, of Americus, Ga., a member of the Sumter County 4-H and a home-schooled high school senior, launched "Operation Desert Support" in 2008, a program that sends homemade stockings filled with care items to American troops. Morgan, who has helped to distribute stockings to nearly 900 troops and has recruited and organized 400 volunteers, has also secured donations through a letter campaign, media stories, and drop-off boxes throughout the community.

Elise Bruening  18, of Montville, Ohio, a senior at Madison High School, raised more than $16,000 in her "Six Days to D.C." benefit bicycle ride for which she cycled 325 miles from McKeesport, Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. Elise, a volunteer with Honor Flight Cleveland, raised money to sponsor trips for World War II veterans to visit the World War II Memorial.

Ashley Easterly   16, of Friendswood, Texas, a senior at Friendswood High School, founded "Suitcase 4 Soldiers," an organization that sends suitcases full of snacks, games and the comforts of home to soldiers serving overseas. Ashley's first suitcase went to her father serving in Iraq, and since then she has raised more than $5,000 in grants and donations to support the program.

Jennifer Hoffstadt  17, of Dover, Del., a senior at Caesar Rodney High School in Camden, collected more than 2,000 greeting cards from students in the Caesar Rodney School District and sent them to soldiers through the American Red Cross "Holiday Mail for Heroes" program. Jennifer, whose dad and other relatives are in the military, also volunteers with the USO and has raised money for families of fallen soldiers; she also volunteers with the Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity.

Lauren Kelley  12, of Nashville, Tenn., a seventh-grader at Christ the King School, founded "Project: PJ," for which she collected and donated 45 backpacks filled with pajamas, personal care items, toys and books for children of veterans that were left homeless after the flood of 2010. Lauren, who wanted to help when she heard that soldiers were coming home from service "homeless" when their houses were washed away, plans to continue this project to help others in need.

Charlotte McCauley  16, of Atlanta, Ga., a sophomore at North Atlanta High School, has organized a project that has donated 12,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to troops in the Middle East for the past two years. Charlotte, a Girl Scout since she was 6 years old, secured low-cost shipping, worked with Girl Scout leaders in her service unit to approve and promote the project, produced a how-to video, and rallied more than 1,300 Girl Scouts to support the project.

Cole Pitts   17, of Alvin, Texas, a senior at Alvin High School, volunteers as a dive buddy with Dive Pirates, a nonprofit organization that enables injured Iraqi war veterans to scuba dive with trained partners. Cole, whose aunt founded "Dive Pirates," has helped to raise $100,000 to support the program.

Kudos to all these young volunteers for the many ways they have volunteered to support our troops and veterans!
 and Kudos to Prudential for the Spirit of Community awards, that recognize and support young volunteers!
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You can also follow the Prudential Spirit of  Awards on Facebook and Twitter

Year Five of Volunteering at the Face of America Bike Ride..Here we come:)

My daughter and I began volunteering in 2007  at World T.E.A.M. Sports Face of America Bike Ride

and volunteered again in 2008 , 2009 and last year

This coming weekend is the 2011 Face of America ride, and we'll be volunteering again! along with some of the other great volunteers we've gotten to know over these last years...looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting new friends, and most of all.....Cheering on the Awesome Riders!

Got a last few banners that arrived in the mail today, from some wonderful folks in Connecticut,Thank You!!...once again, folks from around the country did a fantastic job making banners for the volunteer 'Banner Hanging Team' to use to cheer the riders along.

The blog will be silent while we're gone, possibly might post a few pics onto my Facebook while we're volunteering this weekend, otherwise...I'll tell you all about it when we get back! :)

Enjoy your weekend, Support our Troops and our Wounded Warriors and our Veterans!

Prudential Honoring Youth Volunteer community service

Got an email with information about the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program

which seemed a very worthy program to pass on!

From the website:
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States' largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. The program was created in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to honor middle level and high school students for outstanding service to others at the local, state, and national level.


The program's goals are to applaud young people who already are making a positive difference in their towns and neighborhoods, and to inspire others to think about how they might contribute to their communities. Over the past 15 years, more than 280,000 young Americans have participated in the program, and more than 90,000 of them have been officially recognized for their volunteer work.

the program Also operates in Japan, South Korea,Taiwan, Ireland and India

This year, 6 students were named State Honorees for their work aiding the military:

1. Dylan Bass, 18, is his community’s coordinator for a program that provides overseas military families with manufacturer’s coupons to help stretch their budgets. At last count, he had sent coupons worth $96,000 overseas to help ease the strain on military budgets.



2. Glennita Williams, 14, has collected snacks and personal care items worth more than $14,000 for shipment to American troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past four years. She has started an organization called “America’s Guardian Angels” to do even more in the future.


3. John-Henry Lambin, 18, organized a volunteer effort that assembles treats and personal items into care packages that are sent to American troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. A two-page personal letter also is included in each kit, expressing gratitude for the soldier’s sacrifice.


4. Mariah Faith Reynolds, 12, has sent Valentine cards to nearly 5,000 U.S. soldiers over the past several years; collected 3,000 books for libraries, schools, and shelters; and volunteered for a wide variety of charitable organizations.


5. Kaitlyn Fox, 11, sent a box of hygiene items, snacks, books and games every month to a local military unit while it was deployed to Afghanistan.


6. Justin Peterson, 10, raised money to send 15 World War II veterans from his area to Washington, D.C., to see the memorial built in their honor. Although Justin’s goal was to send just one veteran to see the memorial, he raised more than $5,300, enough to send 15.
 
And you can search for honorees from your specific state Here
 
Kudos to Prudential's Spirit of Community Awards program for recognizing and celebrating volunteerism in our young people, both nationally and world-wide,
and also to all the Honorees and Finalists from Middle and High School who are displaying such community spirit with their volunteerism!!

 
 

Where Volunteering Takes You.....

Well, it's taken me a week to find time to give the 'after report' on my daughter and I volunteering at the 2010 Face of America Bike Ride, sorry 'bout that!



a link to our pics from the ride is HERE



and Angel friend/bike rider Greta's blog round-up of the ride is HERE



My daughter and I had the Most amazing time volunteering through Soldiers Angels at this event again (and check out Angelic Faces of America on the Soldiers Angels website :)



Because volunteering at this event has become a 'mother-daughter' tradition for my daughter,April, and I for the past 4 years, and because with my daughter heading off to college next year, this might have been the last year we have gone to volunteer together? (she may have scheduling conflicts next year, with college and exams)....I gave a lot of thought this year to how far volunteering has taken us.



From that first time we went to volunteer in 2007 for just a few hours on the first day of the bike ride, to making it an all day volunteer effort in 2008 , and then my daughter volunteering the first day by herself last year and then both of us for the first time also volunteering on the 2nd day of the ride last year?



We have been privileged to meet so many wonderful people each year, both volunteers and riders......and have looked forward each year to seeing the same volunteers we only see once a year, sharing laughter and work with them, and cheering on the amazing and wonderful folks who ride in the bike ride.



I had no idea in 2007 when I first answered the call in an 'Angel' email for volunteers, what a big part of our lives this would become each year, and what a wealth of shared memories my daughter and I would carry away from this volunteering opportunity. That, I think, is the wonderful effect of volunteering.......you have no idea when you start out, where the journey will take you, or what a profound and lasting effect it can have on your life :) and I'm so grateful to Soldiers Angels and World T.E.A.M. Sports, for giving us the opportunity this past four years, to together be a part of something so worthwhile to volunteer for, and to have this shared memory in our lives.

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some of the memories I'll carry away from last weekend?



the sunrise over the Capitol building at the beginning of the ride, and standing with the other volunteers holding up the banners as the riders started out.....



as always, seeing the awesome banners that folks send in from all over the country for those of us on the 'Banner Team' to hang up to encourage and cheer on the riders.....



the great firefighters at so many of the rest stops, who were always so welcoming:)



pitching in at the second rest stop to help the 'food volunteers' get everything ready for the riders, and them discovering they had no knives to cut up the oranges! and the very nice lady at the little country store up the road who told us 'you can borrow this knife' because they didn't have any plastic knives on sale there......and watching my daughter become 'orange slicing queen',lol :)



the fabulous Boy Scout volunteers at the Sportsplex who did such a wonderful job! (only why did Three of them come by to tell me 'the food is ready inside'?? did I look That hungry,lol? or was it just I looked 'plump'???:)




having the chance this year at dinner the first night to hang out with 'Angels' and getting to speak further with some of the Riders.

the as always fantastic cookout at the end of the Ride at Seamus' place :)
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that's my round-up of how our weekend of volunteering went last weekend!!