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The District of Columbia's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards Program
[February 09, 2016]

The District of Columbia's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 21st Annual National Awards Program


Gavrielle Kamen, 16, and Amelia Myre, 13, today were named the District of Columbia'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. Gavrielle was nominated by Georgetown Day School, and Amelia was nominated by Alice Deal Middle School. 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).

Gavrielle, a junior at Georgetown Day School, organizes weekly video-conferencing sessions at her school that bring together teens from the United States, Middle East and southern Asia to talk about their experiences and perspectives, in an effort to promote peace and understanding in a troubled part of the world. Growing up with a mother who is a psychologist, Gavrielle says she learned the importance of honest, sincere communication in resolving human conflict. "Understanding and communication are the most primary basis for human change," she said. "The best way to go about creating change is for people to learn how to respect, trust and communicate."

Last summer, Gavrielle participated in a conflict-resolution forum with teens from several Middle Eastern countries. She returned home determined to apply what she had learned and continue to build bridges among young people in countries with deep animosities. "I decided that the way I could help the most in my community was to have as many people as possible speak face to face with other humans their age in different regions involved in the Middle East conflict," she said. Using large-screen Skype (News - Alert) technology, she began hosting weekly forums involving teens from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, as well as students at her school. Her sessions began with over 60 American participants and more than 200 from overseas. "Together, we are learning how to empathize, and what it means to obtain peace and justice," she said.

Amelia, an eighth-grader at Alice Deal Middle School, launched an initiative with her sister to support wounded veterans by raising money and focusing attention on their sacrifices. Amelia, who began volunteering at Walter Reed Bethesda National Military Medical Center at age 9, purchased gifts one year for the patients there and handed them out during a Christmas party. At the event, she saw a quadruple amputee receive a specialized "track chair" from a nonprofit organization, and realized she could do more to help America's wounded warriors.

Amelia and her sister decided to launch an initiative to help more veterans get track chairs. They invited some of the amputees they had met at Walter Reed to come to their school to share their stories, and persuaded a local television station to cover the visit. Then Amelia hosted a car wash outside of her school that raised $1,000. At first, "I didn't know much about amputees and specially designed chairs for them," she said, "but now I am determined to help in every way I can."

As State Honorees, Gavrielle and Amelia each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an invitation to four days of national recognition events in Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from all 50 states. During the trip, 10 students will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2016.

Distinguished Finalists

The program judges also recognized two other District of Columbia students as Distinguished Finalists for thei impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.



These are the District of Columbia's Distinguished Finalists for 2016:

Kali Thompson, 16, a junior at McKinley Technology High School, volunteers regularly as an assistant to the chef at the DC Central Kitchen, an organization that serves homeless people in the community. Kali, who began volunteering in 2014 doing more basic tasks like peeling vegetables, has graduated to assisting with cooking duties and supervising other volunteers.


Zachary Ware, 12, a seventh-grader at Washington Latin Public Charter School, spent the summer of 2015 riding 3,000 miles on his bicycle as a participant in the "Ride to Freedom," a charity bike ride to support people in China who practice the ancient meditative practice known as Falun Gong. Zachary worked with other riders to raise awareness by handing out cards, participating in press conferences and visiting the state capitols in each state they rode through.

"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


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