WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Colorado's top two youth volunteers of 2013, Austin Reed, 18, of Wray and Estefania Martinez, 13, of Aurora, were honored in the nation’s capital last night for their outstanding volunteer service during the 18th annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Austin and Estefania – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – each received $1,000 awards and personal congratulations from Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey and Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix at an award ceremony and gala dinner reception held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), named Austin and Estefania Colorado's top high school and middle level youth volunteers in February. In addition to their cash awards, they each received an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent to Washington, D.C., for four days of recognition events.
Austin, a senior at Wray High School, raised more than $34,000 to purchase 22 heart defibrillators, placed them in locations throughout his community, and trained people in those locations to use them. When Austin heard that a nearby town had purchased automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), he researched the subject and then surveyed local doctors to find out if they thought buying the machines for Wray would be worthwhile. Receiving a positive response, Austin persuaded a local hospital to sponsor a campaign that he would undertake to acquire the AEDs.
After the hospital agreed to provide $15,000 for the project, Austin secured another $19,000 from the Wray Lions Club and a local trust in the names of Kenneth and Ethel Powell. He then set out to educate the public about the project by speaking at more than 30 community meetings and publicizing the effort on the radio and in the local newspaper. Once the defibrillators were selected and purchased, Austin placed them in restaurants, stores, exercise facilities and other high-traffic locations, and began training the people working in those locations – and anyone else who wanted to learn. The project, said Austin, has given his community a sense of security and a way to react swiftly in emergency situations. “Although I do not hope the AEDs have to be used, I have successfully prepared the community to save lives,” he said.
Estefania, a seventh-grader at North Middle School Health Sciences and Technology Campus, has been an avid volunteer at her school and at a local mental health facility for the past two years. She was inspired to get involved after seeing the Red Cross spring into action to help people during times of crisis. “My favorite thing is to do volunteer hours,” said Estefania.
She started by helping kindergarteners and first graders with their homework on a regular basis. Then she made herself available to school officials to help with events such as back-to-school nights, parent coffees and parent-teacher conferences. Estefania says volunteering will always be a part of her life. “People really need your time,” she said.
“We commend these honorees not only for the impact of their service and their spirit of giving, but also for inspiring others to consider that they can make a difference, too,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “We congratulate this extraordinary group of youth volunteers.”
“These students are fine examples of what is possible when young people roll up their sleeves and commit themselves to helping others,” said Denise Greene-Wilkinson, president of NASSP. “They have learned early that their contributions can make a real difference, and there is no limit to the great things they can achieve.”
Youth volunteers were invited to apply for 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of the HandsOn Network. More than 28,000 middle level and high school students nationwide participated in this year’s program.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program was created in 1995 to identify and recognize young people for outstanding volunteer service – and, in so doing, inspire others to volunteer as well. In the past 18 years, the program has honored more than 100,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.
More information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year’s honorees can be found at http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.
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 38 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.
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]
