California's Top Youth Volunteers Of 2020 Selected By National Program

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hollis Belger, 15, of Larkspur and Michaela Auyeung, 13, of Los Gatos today were named California's top two youth volunteers of 2020 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Hollis and Michaela 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 2020. 

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 25^th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

These are California's top youth volunteers of 2020:

High School State Honoree: Hollis Belger
Nominated by Redwood High School

Hollis, a sophomore at Redwood High School, has raised more than $400,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital over the past six years through a multifaceted fundraising campaign that revolves around soccer-ball juggling. When Hollis was 8 years old, she started playing competitive soccer and discovered she was pretty good at juggling the ball with her feet. When she was able to juggle the ball 100 times in a row, her mother suggested she spend the summer juggling to raise money for a cause. "She told me about St. Jude and the compassionate and lifesaving care provided to patients and their families, all free of charge," said Hollis.

Hollis started using her juggling to solicit pledges and donations from friends and family members, wrote blogs that her mother posted online, arranged media interviews, and told everyone she met about childhood cancer and St. Jude. She raised $35,000 that first summer. Six years later, Hollis is still raising money as well as awareness. She sends emails to donors, creates online newsletters, gives juggling clinics and private lessons, and attends St. Jude special events. She also works with corporate sponsors, sells customized soccer balls at soccer games, juggles at charity golf tournaments, and speaks to school groups around the country to inspire other young volunteers. One of her favorite activities is meeting young St. Jude patients and their families. "That always inspires me to keep going," said Hollis. "Nothing is more important than saving the life of a child, and nothing is more rewarding than helping doctors do that."

Middle Level State Honoree: Michaela Auyeung
Nominated by Raymond J. Fisher Middle School

Michaela, an eighth-grader at Raymond J. Fisher Middle School, conducts free art classes and other activities to help young people place less importance on social media. She started working on this after seeing how social media was making her friends unhappy and harming their self-esteem. "Much of their happiness was based on how many likes, follows or comments they got," she said. "They look to social media for approval and attention," and if they don't get it, "they are miserable and depressed." This can be a particular challenge for children in need who lack supervision or affordable after-school opportunities, said Michaela. What was needed, she felt, was a program that "helps youth celebrate their uniqueness and true identities both online and offline."

Michaela began by hosting coloring parties using stories that she wrote and coloring pages that she illustrated. She then started conducting after-school art and mentoring programs and giving motivational speeches at schools. She also produced two inspirational coloring storybooks and distributed more than 2,000 copies both locally and internationally. In addition, Michaela has collaborated with several organizations to spread awareness of the effects of social media on young people's mental health. She estimates that her efforts have impacted more than 2,000 children and teens so far, helping them to focus on off-screen activities, providing them with alternative outlets for creative expression, and encouraging them to be genuine and take pride in who they really are.  

Distinguished Finalists

The program judges also recognized 10 other California students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

These are California's Distinguished Finalists for 2020:

Tanvi Barman, 17, of Fremont, California, a senior at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley, started and runs "No Birthday Left Behind," a nonprofit that throws birthday parties for children experiencing housing insecurity; her efforts include securing grants, fundraising, establishing partnerships with local businesses, recruiting and training volunteers and organizing each birthday party. No Birthday Left Behind has raised more than $35,000 and hosted nearly 50 birthday parties.

Ishaan Brar, 17, of Bakersfield, California, a junior at Stockdale High School, founded "Healthy Community," which has hosted 11 free medical clinics for underserved populations; his efforts include recruiting volunteers and medical professionals, securing equipment and supplies, promoting his cause, and moderating "ask-a-doctor" and speaking sessions at each clinic. Healthy Community, which holds a clinic one Saturday every month in a different location, has benefitted more than 500 people.

Zaid Fattah, 16, of Danville, California, a junior at Monte Vista High School, created and runs "More Than Magic," through which he held a four-week magic camp for refugee youth; the organization also offers free English-language tutoring and has donated more than 1,000 pounds of school supplies to refugees in Oakland and in Istanbul, Turkey. Through his organization, which includes nearly 30 volunteers, Zaid hopes to empower refugees while sharing his passion for magic.

Christian Gebhardt, 18, of Carmel, California, a senior at Carmel High School, started "GoodWorks," through which he makes and sells woodworking projects, donating the proceeds to a partner organization that provides free meals to people experiencing homelessness. Christian's efforts include spreading awareness of housing insecurity in his community, securing donated materials for his projects and fulfilling orders; he has been able to donate more than $12,500 so far.

Bela Gowda, 13, of Rancho Santa Fe, California, an eighth-grader at The Bishop's School, has collected and donated 2,000 books and $1,300 to The African Library Project, helping establish libraries in Ghana and Uganda; her efforts include fundraising by selling cookies and lemonade and soliciting book donations from community members, used book stores and her local library. Bela also recruited her family to help her count, organize and package book donations.

Ishan Goyal, 15, of San Jose, California, a sophomore at Lynbrook High School, runs "Essentials For Homeless," a nonprofit dedicated to collecting and donating toiletry items to homeless shelters; along with running toiletry drives in his own community, he has helped establish more than 30 chapters of his organization across seven states and four countries. Ishan has personally collected more than 10,000 hygiene items, including more than 2,000 pounds of towels, bedsheets and blankets.

Jason Lin, 17, of Los Altos, California, a junior at The Harker School, organized two fundraising concerts featuring teenage musicians to raise more than $70,000 for the Tahirih Justice Center, a national organization that provides free legal and social services for asylum seekers fleeing gender-based violence. Jason's efforts included recruiting volunteers and musicians, handling event logistics, promoting his event and spreading awareness of his cause.

Milan Narula, 16, of Irvine, California, a junior at University High School, co-founded "Code Open Sesame," an organization that has offered coding workshops and individual tutoring sessions to children living in nine homeless and domestic violence shelters; her efforts include securing grants, recruiting and training volunteer instructors and teaching courses. Code Open Sesame has secured more than $24,000 in funding and includes more than 120 high school and college-level volunteers.

Isabella Paoletti-Tejeda, 18, of Yorba Linda, California, a senior at Rosary Academy, started "Read a Story, Change a Life," a literacy intervention program that offers storytelling and writing workshops to children from underserved communities; her efforts include securing more than $40,000 in grants and donations, creating training and instructional materials and spreading awareness of her cause. Isabella's initiative includes more than 120 volunteers and has benefitted more than 2,000 children.

Nesha Subramaniam, 16, of Apple Valley, California, a senior at Apple Valley High School, developed a low-cost method of reducing water contamination caused by dairy cows in her community; to do so, she attended water conservation fairs, collaborated with local dairy farmers, secured funding and conducted experiments with her mentor, a water resource control engineer. Nesha also travelled to Ethiopia to help dairy farmers reduce their own water contamination.

"In our 25^th year of honoring young volunteers, we are as inspired as ever by the work students are doing to address the needs of a changing world," said Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. "We hope that their resolve, their initiative and their perspectives on society's challenges move others to consider how they can make a difference, too."

"Middle level and high school students are doing remarkable things to shape the future of their communities through volunteer service. They inspire all students and schools to drive learning with real-world challenges," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "Congratulations to each of the 2020 honorees – it's an honor to celebrate your commitment to creating positive change."

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 Points of Light Global Network members, 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 4, 10 of the State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2020. These National Honorees will receive additional $5,000 scholarships, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from Prudential for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice.  

Since the program began in 1995, more than 130,000 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.

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 principals and other school leaders across the United States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student's potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student. 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 Student Council. Learn more at 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.

For Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallion graphics, please visit https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media

SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.news.prudential.com