Two Nevada Youth Honored for Volunteerism at National Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C.; Actor Ted Danson and Olympic Champion Joey Cheek Pay Tribute to Young Heroes as part of Four-Day Recognition Events

WASHINGTON -- Two Nevada students, Erin Brosy, 18, of Reno and Daniel Edmondson, 13, of Boulder City were honored in the nation's capital last night for their outstanding volunteer work during the presentation of The 2006 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The two young people - along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country - received $1,000 awards as well as personal congratulations from actor Ted Danson and Olympic speedskating champion Joey Cheek at the 11th annual award ceremony and gala dinner reception, held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Erin and Daniel were named the top high school and middle level youth volunteers in Nevada in February. In addition to their cash awards, they received engraved silver medallions and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for this week's recognition events.

Conducted in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created 11 years ago by Prudential Financial, Inc. to encourage youth volunteerism and to identify and reward young role models. Since then, the program has honored more than 70,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.

"Erin and Daniel exemplify the spirit of community that is so important to the future of our neighborhoods, our towns and our nation," said Arthur F. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential. "By honoring them, we hope not only to give them the recognition they so richly deserve, but also to inspire others to follow their example."

Erin, a senior at Earl Wooster High School, raised community awareness about homelessness while organizing an "Empty Bowls" dinner that raised more than $6,000 for the Interfaith Hospitality Network, a church-based transitional housing program for homeless families. Erin became familiar with the plight of the homeless while hosting families staying at her church. "I was surprised how many children were homeless," she said, "including lots of teenagers like me."

After reading a magazine article about a fund-raising event for a soup kitchen in New Mexico, she decided to coordinate an "Empty Bowls" benefit in her community. She contacted art departments at all of the high schools in her area and asked them to make ceramic bowls for the dinner, and then solicited donations of soup and bread from local restaurants and caterers. Next, she found a location, arranged for publicity, and recruited volunteers. On the night of the dinner, guests were able to pick from among 300 handmade bowls and four varieties of soup in exchange for a donation. The dinner not only raised a substantial sum for the Interfaith Hospitality Network, but also increased awareness of the problem of homelessness in the Reno/Sparks area. "How difficult it would be to not have a place to call home, where your friends could come visit or you could do your homework or just be with your family," said Erin. "My fund-raiser definitely benefited those families."

Daniel, an eighth-grader at Silvestri Junior High School in Las Vegas, has been teaching Taekwondo karate classes to young children for the past five years. As a young Jackie Chan fan, Daniel began taking Taekwondo lessons when he was just 6 years old, and was so taken with the sport that he wanted to share it with others. "What inspired me to go into teaching was just pure love for the sport," he said. "I loved sharing with others the great lessons, fun and experience of Taekwondo. I also loved seeing kids understand something for the first time and the flare in their eyes."

To become a junior instructor, Daniel had to train for two years, log 350 hours of volunteer service at the Taekwondo studio, and pass both physical and written tests. He now leads classes, mentors young students, and helps them prepare for tournament competitions. Throughout the years he has taught more than 150 kids not only the physical techniques of Taekwondo, but also self-discipline, confidence, respect and integrity. "I feel it is important to pass on what I have learned," he said. "I believe everyone should experience Taekwondo."

Applications for the 2006 awards program were submitted last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and Volunteer Centers affiliated with the Points of Light Foundation. The top middle level and high school applicants in each state and the District of Columbia were announced in February. These 102 State Honorees are in Washington this week with their parents for four days of special recognition events.

Ten of the 102 were named America's top ten youth volunteers for 2006 at the International Trade Center today. These National Honorees received additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies for the schools or organizations that nominated them, and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for charities of their choice.

The ten National Honorees are:

Evan Alicuben, 17, of Hilo, Hawaii, who spearheaded a project that placed "personal emergency dialers" in the homes of nearly 50 senior citizens in his community, to enable them to call for help quickly and easily in case of emergency.

Ellie Ambrose, 12, of Nashville, Tenn., who organized an annual carnival and a five-kilometer running race called "Ellie's Run for Africa," which together have raised more than $40,000 over the past two years for sick and disadvantaged children in Africa.

Hillary Hughes, 11, of Bedford, N.H., who started a nonprofit foundation that has collected more than $11,000 worth of personal-care products and other items to distribute to needy kids in her community, poor families in Chile, tsunami victims in Asia, and hurricane victims on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Geneva Johnson, 17, of the Bronx, N.Y., the founder and executive director of a successful youth-run organization that seeks to build pride and self-esteem among young people in the inner-city through a wide variety of service projects.

Alexander Lin, 12, of Westerly, R.I., who led a student community service group in a multifaceted project to reduce the adverse environmental impact of discarded consumer electronics - or "e-waste" - through recycling, public education and legislation.

Michelle Loke, 13, of Hartland, Wis., who conducted scientific tests to check for lead content in children's toys and jewelry, and then launched a campaign to remove lead-tainted toys from stores and ban the use of lead in these items.

Ajay Mangal, 18, of Pascagoula, Miss., who lost nearly all of his possessions when Hurricane Katrina flooded his coastal city, yet devoted himself to distributing emergency supplies to other victims immediately after the storm, and helped many families clean out their homes in the following weeks and months.

Kevin Peyton, 18, of Sac City, Iowa, who rallied residents throughout his rural county to help him make colorful wooden "barn quilts" and mount them on historic barns and other buildings, in an effort to boost the local economy by attracting more tourists.

Nicholas Schwaderer, 17, of Superior, Mont., who built and now operates a low-power FM radio station at his school that has become an important source of news and entertainment for a small, mountainous community in western Montana.

Savannah Walters, 13, of Odessa, Fla., who is waging an extensive, multi-state campaign called "Pump 'em Up" to conserve energy resources and reduce pollution by urging drivers to keep their tires property inflated and thereby burn less gasoline.

The National Honorees were chosen by a national selection committee that was co-chaired by U.S. Senators Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, and by Arthur Ryan of Prudential. Also serving on the committee were actor Richard Dreyfuss; Alma Powell, chair of America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth; Robert Goodwin, President and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation; Amy B. Cohen, Director of Learn and Serve America at the Corporation for National and Community Service; Kathy Cloninger, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA; Donald T. Floyd Jr., President and CEO of National 4-H Council; Ken Gladish, National Executive Director of YMCA of the USA; David Vodila, President of NASSP; and two 2005 Prudential Spirit of Community National Honorees: Devin Cohen of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., and Lindsey Williams of St. Joseph, Mo.

NASSP President David Vodila said, "The young people honored this year with the Prudential Spirit of Community Award exemplify the best America offers to the world. Their actions bring unity and purpose to their communities and across our great nation. Through their leadership, service and compassion, these young people bring us all closer together."

In addition to the organizations above, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards are supported by the American Association of School Administrators, the National Middle School Association, the National School Boards Association, the Council of the Great City Schools, the National School Public Relations Association and many other national youth and service organizations.

More information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year's honorees can be found at www.prudential.com/spirit or www.principals.org/prudential.

NASSP - celebrating 90 years of excellence in school leadership - is the preeminent organization and the national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders. NASSP provides its members with the professional resources to serve as visionary leaders. NASSP promotes the intellectual growth, academic achievement, character development, leadership development, and physical well-being of youth through its programs and student leadership services. NASSP administers the National Honor Society(TM), National Junior Honor Society(TM), and National Association of Student Councils(TM).

Prudential Financial companies serve individual and institutional customers worldwide and include The Prudential Insurance Company of America, one of the largest life insurance companies in the United States. These companies offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, mutual funds, annuities, pension and retirement-related services and administration, asset management, securities brokerage, banking and trust services, real estate brokerage franchises and relocation services. For more information, visit www.prudential.com.

(Editors: full-color pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions are available at www.prudential.com/spirit.)

(Television producers: customized b-roll footage of the Nevada honorees receiving their awards will be transmitted via satellite on Monday, May 8, from 1:05 to 1:10 p.m. EDT on C-Band, AMC 3, Transponder 19, Downlink 4080 Mhz H, Audio 6.2/6.8. For more information, call Faith Armonaitis or Lauren Cardinale at 800-325-8677.)

COPYRIGHT 2006 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning