Kansas' Top Youth Volunteers Of 2019 Selected By National Program

TOPEKA, Kan., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunter Hotaling, 18, of Lansing and Riley Padget-Cook, 11, of Minneapolis today were named Kansas' 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, Hunter and Riley 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 Kansas' top youth volunteers of 2019:

High School State Honoree: Hunter Hotaling
Nominated by Lansing High School

Hunter, a senior at Lansing High School, mobilized nine of the schools he's attended over the years to collect and contribute clothing, supplies and money for students and staff at his former elementary school, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area in 2017. The son of two military veterans, Hunter has had to change schools frequently as his family moved from place to place, but he always had particularly fond memories of his first school, Franz Elementary in Katy, Texas. So when he learned that the school sustained significant damage during Hurricane Harvey, and that students and teachers there lost homes and belongings, Hunter sprang into action.

Hunter found volunteers to sponsor individual classrooms at Franz Elementary and determine their needs, then contacted the principal at each of his former schools – plus more than 40 organizations and individuals around the world – to ask for help in collecting new clothes, school supplies and monetary donations for Franz Elementary. Within a month, Hunter was able to deliver thousands of dollars in contributions to the little school in Katy. In addition, Hunter has spearheaded numerous drives to collect cereal, diapers, hygiene products, clothing and other essentials for a variety of charities, and last winter recruited 20 classmates to give free holiday manicures to residents of a local retirement home. "Because I have the unique privilege of being able to help others in need simply because I can, I feel it is my duty to create these projects in my community," he said.

Middle Level State Honoree: Riley Padget-Cook
Nominated by Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland

Riley, a fifth-grader at Bennington Elementary School, started a business selling containers of a gooey toy substance known as "slime" to raise money for disaster relief, cancer awareness, hospital wagons and a local family in need of help. When her father traveled to Florida in 2017 to help restore electricity after Hurricane Irma, Riley became aware of the many needs of families affected by the storm. "I wanted to help," she said, "so I came up with my slime business and used the money earned to donate for disaster relief."

With encouragement and help from her grandmother, Riley shopped for supplies and began making slime. After a lot of trial and error and feedback from customers, she improved her product, designed a container label and started marketing through promotional videos and her grandma's Facebook page. It quickly became so popular that Riley invited her best friend to join the business. They sought permission to sell their slime at school events, and broadened their product line to include a variety of colors and flavors. In less than two months, Riley's business generated more than $1,500. Riley sent two-thirds to disaster victims in Florida and used the rest to promote awareness of childhood cancer, buy three collapsible wagons for cancer patients and assist a single mother with four children.          

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 2019:

Slater Heglin, 18, of Ulysses, Kan., a senior at Ulysses High School, formed a project management team of fellow seniors at his school to raise funds to provide turkeys for local families who couldn't afford a traditional Thanksgiving meal. In their "Tokens for Turkeys" project, the group invited students to contribute coins to select which pair of teachers at Ulysses High would swap jobs for a day.

Lanya Meade, 14, of Kansas City, Kan., a freshman at Sumner Academy of Arts & Science, organized a class competition at her school to collect donations that were used to provide feminine hygiene items to girls in homeless families or transitional living facilities. She also hosted a free self-defense class at her school to teach her peers how to stay safe in dangerous situations.

Abbey Pemberton, 17, of Hutchinson, Kan., a senior at Hutchinson High School, led a lobbying effort that persuaded the Hutchinson City Council to pass an ordinance banning electronic cigarettes in the same places where traditional cigarettes are not allowed, then convinced six towns in her county to prohibit tobacco use in public parks, as well. Since then, she has made several presentations to educate her community and its civic leaders about the dangers of smoking.

Ethan Tatro, 18, of Topeka, Kan., a senior at Washburn Rural High School, conducted a drive that collected 1,200 books so that all of the students at two elementary schools in low-income areas could take home a volume that interested them. After Ethan delivered the books, he spoke during assemblies at both schools, sharing his personal love of books and explaining the essential role that reading over the summer plays in helping kids stay ahead in school.

"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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