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

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Augustus Ehlers, 16, of Edgewood and Lilliana Tracy, 11, of Bellevue today were named Iowa'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, Augustus and Lilliana 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 Iowa's top youth volunteers of 2020:

High School State Honoree: Augustus Ehlers
Nominated by Clayton County 4-H

Augustus, a junior at Edgewood-Colesburg High School, coordinated and managed the fabrication of more than 350 steel gates for animal pens at the county fairgrounds, saving the fair board in his small county more than $60,000. As part of its plans to build a new swine and sheep barn at the fairgrounds, the Clayton County Fair board solicited bids from local livestock equipment companies to build animal pens and gates for the new barn. But "the bids were coming in high," said Augustus, noting that the fair has a small budget. "I thought we could take the expenses and make them a little bit smaller."

Augustus researched the project, and then asked a local welding shop owner to quote a price for the required steel. He figured he could do the welding, aided by other volunteers. He put together a budget, presented his plan at a few fair board meetings, and submitted a formal bid. It was accepted. When the steel for the project was ready, Augustus recruited dozens of volunteers from his 4-H club and Boy Scout troop, and began welding together 5- to 10-foot gates. The whole process took almost a year to complete, and it ended up costing less than half of the next lowest bid. Augustus' project will ensure that "livestock shown in the barn will have safe and humane pens and gating," he said, and "thousands of fair-goers, exhibitors, parents and spectators will benefit for years to come."

Middle Level State Honoree: Lilliana Tracy
Nominated by Marquette Catholic Schools

Lilliana, a sixth-grader at Marquette Catholic Schools, makes regular visits to a local nursing home to cheer up residents and make them feel a little less lonely. Every Christmas, there's a Christmas tree in her community with the names of people confined to their homes and nursing-home residents. In 2017, Lilliana picked the name of a woman at Mill Valley Nursing Home and visited her throughout the holiday season. "But I wanted to visit her more than just during the Christmas season," she said, "so I have been visiting her every other month for the last two years." Lilliana enjoyed the visits so much that she selected the name of another woman at the nursing home the following year, and now visits her as well.

During her visits, Lilliana chats with her new friends, plays games such as Tic-Tac-Toe and Hangman, watches Chicago Cubs baseball games on TV, and plays songs for them on her trumpet. Sometimes she brings her little sister with her. "Now she wants to go with me all the time," said Lilliana. It's difficult finding the time outside of school and extracurricular activities for her visits, but "I can't even imagine what it would be like to be lonely," she said. "It is a joy for them to get visitors, and it is a joy for me to see them happy." 

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are Iowa's Distinguished Finalists for 2020:

Kylie Beelner, 16, of Kingsley, Iowa, a member of Plymouth County 4-H and a junior at Kingsley-Pierson High School, has created and donated more than 35 sleeping mats crocheted out of recycled plastic bags to people experiencing homelessness. For her project, Kylie has spread awareness of her mission, recruited and trained volunteers, collected plastic bag donations and helped source fabric scraps for a woman who sews homemade quilts as part of her initiative.

Pedro Flores, 18, of Clinton, Iowa, a senior at Clinton High School, regularly volunteers his time at the Gateway Area Community Center, teaching children from low-income families basic boxing techniques through weekly lessons; Pedro has also helped renovate and improve the community center facilities. Pedro was inspired to start volunteering at the center after benefiting from its services.

Shristi Sharma, 16, of Fairfield, Iowa, a junior at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, leads two "Girls Who Code" clubs in her community, which teach computer programming to girls in grades 3-12; she has also established a free online program to teach similar skills to kids in India. To run her clubs, which have benefitted more than 50 students so far, Shristi ran promotional campaigns, secured grant funding and regularly develops lessons tailored to participants' interests.

Kathryn Wittrock, 16, of Urbandale, Iowa, a senior at Valley High School, created and runs "Recycling Instruments for Needy Kids (RINKS)," a nonprofit through which she has collected and redistributed more than 30 musical instruments to kids in her community. Kathryn has partnered with several local organizations and more than 50 band directors to solicit donations and identify students who can benefit from her initiative, and plans to continue this program when she goes to college.

"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.

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