DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Katelyn Cinnamon, 17, of West Des Moines and Samantha Dilocker, 13, of Red Oak today were named Iowa's top two youth volunteers of 2013 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Katelyn was nominated by Valley High School in West Des Moines, and Samantha was nominated by Red Oak Middle School in Red Oak. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 18th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Katelyn, a senior at Valley High School, has raised thousands of dollars to purchase iPad tablets for each exam room at the Blank Children’s Hospital Hematology/Oncology Clinic, and to send young cancer patients to a weeklong camp through the Children’s Cancer Connection. While volunteering to work on craft projects with kids at the clinic, Katelyn was so impressed with their bravery and resilience that she wanted to do more for them. “They are some of the strongest, bravest, happiest kids I know,” she said. “They deserve to have something to look forward to.”
She set a goal of raising $10,000 to buy six iPads for the clinic and to pay for kids to attend an annual oncology camp where they can enjoy typical camp activities and spend time with others experiencing the same emotions as they are. Katelyn also wants to equip campers with their own backpacks filled with camp supplies. She also collects fleece tie blankets for the Children’s Cancer Connection. To accomplish her mission, Katelyn recruited a friend to help, and has networked with businesses and organizations throughout her community. So far, she has reached almost half of her fundraising goal and has already delivered the iPads to the clinic. “The most memorable moment was the reactions from the staff and kids when we presented the iPads,” she said. “It was that moment that made everything worth it.”
Samantha, an eighth-grader at Red Oak Middle School, initiated an annual auction of baked goods and crafts at her local Elks Lodge that has raised more than $14,000 over the past six years for a local food pantry, a scholarship fund, a community toy drive and a child with cancer. In 2006, Samantha’s mother’s employer announced that it would be closing. “There was a lot of discussion in our home and community about people losing their jobs,” said Samantha. “I didn’t really understand what it all meant, but I knew I wanted to help.”
She proposed a bake sale to her mother, who suggested the local Elks Lodge might want to help. Together, they decided to ask lodge members to donate baked goods for a Christmas auction. Samantha asked a family friend to serve as auctioneer; solicited donations of cakes, cookies and pies from Elks members; made posters and signs to advertise the event; and helped run the auction. “We were shocked at how many things were donated,” said Samantha. When the final tally exceeded $1,000, “we knew we had to do this again next year,” she said. The auction has since grown to include craft items as well as baked goods, and the proceeds have ballooned: $3,700 has been donated to a food pantry, $4,600 to a Christmas “share-a-toy” program, $3,300 to the National Elks Foundation and scholarship funds, and $2,600 to a family whose little boy has cancer. “It has been an honor for me to present the proceeds of these auctions on behalf of so many good people of the Elks Lodge,” said Samantha.
As State Honorees, Katelyn and Samantha 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 2013.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Iowa students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Iowa's Distinguished Finalists for 2013:
Bradley Baudler, 18, of Fontanelle, Iowa, a member of the Adair County 4-H and a senior at Nodaway Valley High School, created “Brains + Basketball = A Winning Formula,” a weeklong camp for 23 fourth- and fifth-graders with 14 teen mentors teaching science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lessons intertwined with basic basketball skills. Bradley organized the camp in response to a survey that showed a large majority of students were interested in athletics, while only a small percentage cared about STEM subjects.
Dylan DeClerck, 17, of Clive, Iowa, a senior at Valley High School, created and organized “Opportunity on Deck,” a baseball league for children ages 6-13 who could not otherwise afford to play baseball. Dylan met with city and local ball club officials for support and sponsorship, organized clinic activities throughout the summer and promoted the league through local media.
Julianne Delessio, 17, of Bettendorf, Iowa, a senior at Pleasant Valley High School, founded “Dance for Me,” a program that offers dance lessons to those who would not normally be able to take them due to disability, illness or financial constraints. Julianne, who formed the organization two years ago, has taken her program to cancer support groups, YMCA clubs and hospitals, and has formed the nation’s first inclusive high school dance team featuring athletes with and without disabilities.
Jacy McAlexander, 12, of Rockwell City, Iowa, a sixth-grader at South Central Calhoun Middle School, collected more than one million pop tabs to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in an effort to give back after her father stayed there during her chemotherapy treatments. Jacy, who was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma when she was 8 years old, has also raised funds for Relay for Life, donated the proceeds from a garage sale to the Child Life Specialists at Blank Hospital and Children’s Cancer Connection, and acted as a spokesperson on behalf of both of these organizations.
“Prudential is proud to honor these students for making meaningful contributions to their communities,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. “We hope that shining a spotlight on their initiative, creativity and compassion inspires others to consider how they, too, can make a difference.”
“Through their volunteer service, each of these young people has made his or her mark on at least one person, school or community,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “When you consider the collective impact of each of these individual acts, it’s clear that young people can be a major force for good.”
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. Nearly 5,000 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 6, 10 of the State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America’s top youth volunteers of 2013. 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 100,000 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 and India. 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
NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals) is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 36 countries around the world. The association provides research-based professional development and resources, networking, and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development as well, 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 http://www.news.prudential.com/.
Editors: For full-color pictures of the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions, click here: http://bit.ly/Xi4oFW