WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rhode Island's top two youth volunteers of 2014, John Perino, 16, of Westerly and Kelly Graziano, 12, of Johnston, were honored in the nation’s capital last night for their outstanding volunteer service during the 19th annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. John and Kelly – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – each received $1,000 awards and personal congratulations from Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker 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 John and Kelly Rhode Island'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.
John, a sophomore at Westerly High School, co-founded an initiative that collects 4,000 gallons of used cooking oil a month from 132 restaurants and numerous residential receptacles, then converts it to a biofuel to heat the homes of families in need. Several years ago, John became aware of two issues that threatened his seaside town: a recession that caused many people to lose their jobs and rising sea levels due to global warming. “Not only were our neighbors being left in the cold, but environmental circumstances were endangering our low-lying beaches,” he said. John and several close friends began discussing and researching these problems, and hit upon a way to attack both at once.
Having learned at an energy exposition that it was possible to convert waste cooking oil into biodiesel, John and his team asked their city council to install a public waste oil receptacle at the town’s transfer station. Then, they urged residents with flyers and presentations to recycle their used cooking oil and began lobbying local restaurants to donate their oil as well. They found a biodiesel contractor to process the waste oil, and worked with local charities to identify families that needed heating assistance. John’s Project TGIF (“Turn Grease Into Fuel”) now collects oil from 132 restaurants in three states and has public receptacles in 17 towns. And over the past five years, it’s been able to donate more than $100,000 worth of biofuel to keep over 200 families warm through the winters. In addition, the project has prevented more than 2 million pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere, according to John.
Kelly, a sixth-grader at Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School, organized a team of kids that has raised nearly $6,000 for the Providence Animal Rescue League, contributed her own money and birthday presents to the shelter, and volunteered at many events to support homeless and abused pets. Kelly read a book about ways young people can make a difference, and since she loves animals, decided she wanted to help the animal rescue league. “The animals there have been abandoned or abused, and they have to live in cages, so I really wanted to help them,” said Kelly. But she was too young to join the volunteer staff there, so Kelly turned to fundraising.
She asked her cousin to help her set up several lemonade stands, and that first summer, the “Lemonade Kids” raised more than $100. “I was so excited to give the shelter money, I wanted to do more,” Kelly said. Then, they participated in a fundraising walk for the shelter, which generated $800. For her birthday, Kelly asked for shelter supplies instead of personal gifts and used additional gift money to buy a mini-refrigerator for the rescue facility. As her team expanded to seven members, Kelly opened more lemonade stands, sold hot chocolate at a local business, organized fundraisers at several schools and restaurants, and conducted yard and jewelry sales, all of which yielded $5,000 for the shelter. Kelly also has helped out at numerous shelter events. “I love to go to the shelter and visit the animals,” she said.
“These honorees are shining examples of what is possible when young people use their energy and initiative to help their communities,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “We are proud to recognize their accomplishments, and look forward to seeing the great things they achieve in the future.”
“Through their service, these students have not only made a difference in the lives of others – they’ve provided their peers with a powerful example of what it looks like to be an outstanding youth volunteer,” said Barbara-Jane (BJ) Paris, president of NASSP. “Congratulations to each of the 2014 honorees for a job well done.”
Youth volunteers in grades 5-12 were invited to apply for 2014 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 30,000 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, too. In the past 19 years, the program has honored more than 100,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.
For more information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year’s honorees, 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 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 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
