JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brooke Hale, 18, of Forsyth and Kera Mingus, 12, of Kirbyville today were named Missouri'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. Brooke was nominated by Forsyth High School in Forsyth, and Kera was nominated by Forsyth Middle School in Forsyth. 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).
Brooke, a senior at Forsyth High School, is the co-founder and executive director of a free after-school arts program that has been offering weekly classes in musical theatre to elementary and middle level students in her school district for the past four years. As a child, Brooke had to travel 20 miles to Branson, Mo., for singing, dancing and acting lessons. “There were no artistic extracurricular activities at my school for students in elementary and middle school, which forced me to outsource for instruction in the arts,” she said. When her older brother proposed that they address that need, Brooke was quick to take up the challenge.
Together, the two siblings met with school administrators to plan a program called “Art to the Third,” presented the plan to the school board, recruited staff members and high school students to help, and secured funding from the Branson Arts Council. Classes are now taught weekly at the Forsyth Performing Arts Center and include such specialized disciplines as tap dancing, vocal technique, script writing, improvisation and stage combat. In addition, students perform throughout the year at various events in the Forsyth/Branson community, and a musical is produced at the culmination of the spring semester. About 70 students have taken part in the program so far. “There is nothing more gratifying than sharing your passion with others and seeing the lights you spark in other people’s lives,” said Brooke.
Kera, a seventh-grader at Forsyth Middle School, raised more than $11,000 during the first three years of her fundraising campaign to find a cure for juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), a rare autoimmune disease that attacks her muscles and skin. “I know what it is like to be sick and not be able to have a doctor tell you what is wrong,” said Kera. “I am trying to prevent other children from going through what I went through.”
Kera wanted to find a fundraising project that her whole family could take part in. After deciding on a mini-golf tournament, she enlisted the cooperation of a local mini-golf course, recruited sponsors for each hole, and asked local businesses to donate prizes. She also promoted the event through emails, the news media and the website of the Cure JM Foundation. Kera repeated the event the following year, and in 2014, she hosted a raffle and ran a concession stand at flag football games. Kera’s activities have not only raised awareness of a rare disease, but have made important contributions to the research efforts of the Cure JM Foundation. “I’ve learned that I can do something positive with having a disease, and that I don’t have to feel sorry for myself,” she said.
As State Honorees, Brooke and Kera 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 judges also recognized six other Missouri students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Missouri's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:
Crystal Diebold, 18, of Eldon, Mo., a senior at Eldon High School, has been a volunteer with Daybreak Rotary since 2007, and in that time has helped the organization with its two annual fundraisers, helping to decorate, set up, man the table and sell raffle tickets. Crystal also volunteered at the Rotary’s Camp Wonderland for kids with disabilities, and at Candyland, a local program that provides Christmas gifts to children in need.
Taylor Lauer, 18, of Jonesburg, Mo., a senior at Montgomery County High School, joined student council as a freshman and since then has been an avid volunteer in many projects both at school and in the community, including volunteering at school carnivals and blood drives and participating in a polar bear plunge to raise money for Special Olympics. Of her many volunteer activities, Taylor was most impacted by helping to raise funds and pack food donations for a backpack food program benefitting children experiencing hunger.
Kelly Nguyen, 17, of Kansas City, Mo., a senior at East High School, has volunteered steadily for the past two summers with the youth volunteer program at Truman Medical Center, where she has answered phones, checked schedules, and transported patients. Kelly, who has chosen to pursue a career in medicine after losing her father to a motorcycle accident and her grandfather to a heart attack, also volunteered last summer at Ronald McDonald House Charities, where she helped to plant gardens and make meals for the guests.
Chance Riddle, 16, of Warrensburg, Mo., a junior at Warrensburg High School, started volunteering in the sixth grade for his church’s after school care program and continues to volunteer weekly helping the teachers with their lessons. Chance, an active Boy Scout, has gone with his church to various Native American reservations to help run summer Bible programs.
Yumino Sasaki, 18, of Brentwood, Mo., a senior at Brentwood High School, volunteers almost every Saturday as a teacher at the St. Louis Japanese School. Yumino, who attended the school and understands the value of maintaining her Japanese culture, has volunteered for three years at the school, first working with pre-schoolers and now working with kindergarteners.
Tyler Swearingin, 17, of Urbana, Mo., a senior at Skyline High School, has been an active volunteer with the American Diabetes Association for the past seven years, helping to raise $4,500 by participating in the Walk to Stop Diabetes. Tyler, who draws his desire to help those with diabetes from his own diagnosis with the chronic disease, also serves as a counselor at a summer camp for children with diabetes where he helps them to learn how to take care of themselves.
“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
