Kansas' Top Youth Volunteers Of 2018 Selected By National Program

TOPEKA, Kan., Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Maureen Botros, 17 and Kyler Stockstill, 13, both of Wichita, today were named Kansas' top two youth volunteers of 2018 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 23^rd year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

These are Kansas' top youth volunteers of 2018:

High School State Honoree: Maureen Botros
Nominated by Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland in Wichita

Maureen, a home-schooled senior, founded a series of weeklong technology camps to promote the idea that girls can succeed in STEM fields without sacrificing their femininity. "My passion is to address the gender gap in STEM through the development of new strategies to advance women's empowerment and combat patriarchal norms that too often try to prevent women from realizing their potential," said Maureen.

A few years ago, she set out to combat childhood obesity by inventing a wearable device called the "Illumi-cize," which measures heart rate and displays the results via colored lights on fashion accessories including hair bows, necklaces, belts, tutus and T-shirts. Her technology camps give middle and high school girls the opportunity to design and construct their own creative versions of the Illumi-cize. They learn to sew with conductive thread, solder wires and LED lights, and ultimately code a microchip to power their chosen accessories, ranging from suspenders to purses to scarves. Each "Catwalk Coding" camp culminates in a runway fashion show and a reception attended by campers' families and accomplished local women in STEM careers. Approximately 25 girls have participated in each of Maureen's six camps in the U.S.; an additional 100 girls took part in a Mexico City camp conducted by Maureen last November. 

Middle Level State Honoree: Kyler Stockstill
Nominated by Hadley Middle School in Wichita

Kyler, an eighth-grader at Hadley Middle School, serves the homeless and hungry in his community and elsewhere, working side by side with his parents and members of his church. Kyler said his parents, both of whom are teachers, have inspired him to help others. "I am adopted and my parents are white and I am Hispanic," he said. "This is something I struggle with sometimes as I feel different from my family. When I can serve other people, it makes me realize how blessed I am that I was adopted into this family."

After hearing his pastor talk about a mission trip to build a house in Mexico for a family in need, Kyler knew he wanted to be a part of it. With his father and others, Kyler spent three days framing the dwelling, mixing stucco, and doing other construction tasks. "The house that the family lived in before was made of pallets and cardboard," he said. "We were able to create a safe house for them and I was impressed with their sincere appreciation." Kyler also volunteered last summer with his mother at a local food bank, where he helped unload trucks filled with food and moved new cans onto shelves, serving as many as 100 families a day. With his church youth group, he also periodically serves meals at a soup kitchen and last year during spring break went on a mission trip with members of his church to serve the homeless in Kansas City.      

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are Kansas' Distinguished Finalists for 2018:

Callie Carter, 18, of El Dorado, Kan., a senior at El Dorado High School, led a collection drive that provided diapers, clothes, formula and other baby items for thousands of families affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Moved by the images she saw coming out of Texas – and knowing how many diapers her newborn nephew required every day – Callie solicited corporate and community support and conducted media interviews to spread awareness of her drive.

Cameron Jones, 17, of Lenexa, Kan., a senior at Olathe Northwest High School, was motivated by the suicide of two local students to create an annual memorial golf tournament that has raised more than $30,000 for suicide prevention charities in the Kansas City area. Cameron spends nine months out of the year on soliciting sponsorships and other administrative tasks for the tournament, which has drawn about 500 people over the past three years.

Ngoc Vuong, 17, of Wichita, Kan., a senior at Wichita South High School, is the founder and director of "ICTeens in Mind," a student group that works with local schools and organizations to lead activities that promote mental health for teens at home, at school and in the community. Ngoc, who felt fortunate to have a strong support system after his mother's death, is dedicated to fighting the stigma other teens experience when facing their own mental health challenges.

Leah Wiegers, 18, of Lansing, Kan., a senior at Lansing High School, is an advocate for early scoliosis screening who has convinced her school district to screen hundreds of students a year, lobbied lawmakers for a statewide screening mandate, and established a regional chapter of the National Scoliosis Foundation. Leah, whose own scoliosis was detected and treated early, also helped to organize a governor's signing ceremony proclaiming June as National Scoliosis Awareness Month.

"Prudential is proud to recognize these remarkable young people for using their energy, creativity and compassion to bring meaningful change to their communities," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. "We hope their stories inspire others to consider how they can do the same."

"These middle level and high school students have not only improved the lives of the people and communities they've served – they also set an important example for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "These honorees prove that you're never too young to make a difference."

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 April 30, 10 of the State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2018. 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 120,000 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, Brazil and Poland. 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 middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States. 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 Student Council. 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.

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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