Florida's Top Youth Volunteers Of 2019 Selected By National Program

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Stacey Gringauz, 17, of Parkland and Vance Tomasi, 13, of Tampa today were named Florida's top two youth volunteers of 2019 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Stacey and Vance 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 2019. 

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 24^th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

These are Florida's top youth volunteers of 2019:

High School State Honoree: Stacey Gringauz
Nominated by North Broward Preparatory School

Stacey, a senior at North Broward Preparatory School, has made and sold personalized bracelets with two friends over the past three years and donated the proceeds each month to a different charity, including $130,000 for victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting and their families. Stacey grew up watching her mother play a major role as a volunteer for a large foundation. She, too, wanted to make a difference, but "I wanted to create my own path and find a way to donate money to others in the community," she said. After brainstorming ideas with two friends, they decided that since they all liked jewelry, the natural choice was to design and sell bracelets.

The girls named their charity "3 Heart Strings," and with the help of their mothers, they applied for nonprofit status, created a website, and ordered beads, custom fabrics and business cards. They then went to work cutting fabric, beading, packaging and shipping bracelets out to customers for $5 apiece. Each month, the girls would research charities and decide where to distribute their proceeds. Then came the mass shooting at nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018, which killed 17 people and wounded 17 others. Within two days the girls had posted a picture of a bracelet honoring the victims with the initials MSD spelled out in beads. It wasn't long before orders started coming in, and within a short time, they had sold tens of thousands of bracelets and raised $130,000. The girls then held two private ceremonies to present the shooting survivors and the families of the deceased each with a check for $3,800. 

Middle Level State Honoree: Vance Tomasi
Nominated by Farnell Middle School

Vance, a seventh-grader at Farnell Middle School, has worked with a friend to collect and donate more than 90,000 books to families, schools, group homes, hospitals and libraries over the past two years. The oldest of four boys, Vance loves to read and could not imagine life without access to books. When his younger brother was struggling to read, he saw how much he improved after attending a summer reading camp at school. "But I worried about kids who didn't own books," said Vance. "We learned that kids who own books do better in school, but in struggling areas, only one in 300 kids actually own their own books."

Vance and his friend began by conducting a drive that brought in 500 books for homeless families. But they knew they could do more, so the boys set up a website and social media accounts and partnered with the local school system to redistribute old books. Then they began organizing book drives with Boy Scout troops, sports teams, school clubs and other groups, placed donation boxes around town, and recruited volunteers to sort and box the books they received. In addition to book drives, Vance bought 25,000 books with a grant he obtained, and found a book company willing to donate thousands of additional books. Since its inception, Vance's nonprofit organization has donated more than 90,000 books in all 50 states and as far away as Africa. He estimated that these efforts have placed books in the hands of over 18,000 kids.         

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are Florida's Distinguished Finalists for 2019:

Sarah Cabrera, 17, of Cape Coral, Fla., a senior at North Fort Myers High School, has celebrated her birthday for the past six years by collecting non-perishable food – roughly 4,000 pounds so far, all donated to the Harry Chapin Food Bank and the Cape Coral Caring Center. By rounding up friends, family, teachers, pastors and others to spread the word, Sarah has fed people in need in her community, and inspired others to start their own birthday food drives.

Thalia Castro, 17, of Miami, Fla., a senior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, raises money and plans monthly food distributions as chair of the Joshua's Heart Foundation Junior Advisory Board – which inspired her to found "Project Assist," an initiative that provides "Hope Totes" of personal hygiene items and snacks to the homeless in her community. She has collected and distributed more than 3,500 pounds of toiletries, and earned both congressional and presidential honors for her efforts.

Aurora Cosio, 17, of Coral Gables, Fla., a senior at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, created "CODeLLA.Org," an eight-week summer camp designed to bridge the gap in opportunities for young Hispanic women in science, technology, engineering and math. To reach more girls, she also launched the annual SheTech.Miami conference and app competition, attracting hundreds of young participants over two years to learn from female innovators in technology and explore STEM career paths.

Shivani Kumar, 17, of Stuart, Fla., a senior at James S. Rickards High School, volunteers with the Florida Outreach Center for the Blind (FOCB), teaching white cane use, information technology and general safety, as well as a class she established in response to her students' interest in walking safely. She has conducted research on how the sighted can best help the blind and presented her findings at elementary schools, and is coordinating and serving as keynote speaker at an FOCB charity dinner.

Heath Locklear, 16, of Gainesville, Fla., a junior at St. Francis Catholic High School, created and leads "Charity Nerds," which has provided thousands of new and used video games to hospitalized children, foster families, at-risk youth centers and military families worldwide. In addition to planning and leading fundraisers ranging from video game tournaments to zombie hunts, Heath personally cleans, tests, packages and finds a new home for every donated game and system.

Adyson Pitts, 14, of Lynn Haven, Fla., an eighth-grader at Surfside Middle School, began packing "Bags of Love" when her little sister was diagnosed with leukemia, and she saw that many families who had to live near a hospital for weeks at a time didn't have an opportunity to pack items for their extended stay. She has collected, prepared and recruited family and friends to help deliver more than 200 bags of toiletries, snacks, blankets, activities and more to Sacred Heart Hospital.

Selena Schulz, 13, of Hudson, Fla., a seventh-grader at Countryside Montessori Charter School, has raised more than $5,000 for animal shelters in three states and Canada by setting up a table at events and selling her trilogy of books through her organization, "A Bed A Buck A Buddy." Selena, whose efforts started when she asked for shelter donations instead of gifts for her eighth birthday, is dedicated to the mission of encouraging others to "adopt, not shop."

Robert Witten, 17, of Heathrow, Fla., a senior at Trinity Preparatory School, tutors homeless children and conducts several clothing drives a year through his nonprofit, "Caring Kids 4 Kids, Inc.," to help kids in need feel more comfortable, confident and accepted. Inspired by learning about homeless children living within five miles of his home, he collects, organizes and arranges for distribution in two counties of more than 5,000 articles of clothing each year.

"These young volunteers learned and demonstrated that they can make meaningful contributions to individuals and communities through their service," said Prudential CEO Charles Lowrey. "It's an honor to recognize their great work, and we hope that shining a spotlight on their service inspires others to consider how they might make a difference."

"Each of these honorees is proof that students have the energy, creativity and unique perspectives to create positive change," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "We commend each of the 2019 honorees for their outstanding volunteer service, and for the invaluable example they've set for their peers." 

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 affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn Network, 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 6, 10 of the State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2019. 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 125,000 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.

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