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

FRANKFORT, Ky., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Breanna Burkhead, 17, of Lancaster and Sean Nichols, 12, of Edgewood today were named Kentucky'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, Breanna and Sean 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 Kentucky's top youth volunteers of 2020:

High School State Honoree: Breanna Burkhead
Nominated by Garrard County 4-H

Breanna, a senior at Garrard County High School, played a leading role in purchasing and renovating an historic building in her small, rural community to serve as a new permanent arts center. As a member of her 4-H group's arts club, Breanna knew that her town's existing arts center was being evicted from its home and that its future was uncertain. "I learned that the local art council was at a crossroads trying to figure out what they could do to keep art alive in our county," she said. "I decided I wanted to be a part of this discussion and future decisions for arts in my community."

Breanna began investigating possible solutions and then presented her findings to the art council, urging the group to purchase a 3,000-square-foot vacant building in town. After the council voted to follow Breanna's recommendation, she was invited to serve on its board of directors. She then prepared a PowerPoint presentation to apply for grants, solicited donations from community members and participated in several fundraisers. Once funding was secured and the building purchased, Breanna spent many hours cleaning out and renovating the structure, and loading in arts supplies and equipment. She was given the honor of cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of the new center, which now features two classrooms, an art gallery, six working artist studios and a giftshop. "It is with a sense of pride that I know the arts will have a permanent place in our community for generations to come," she said.

Middle Level State Honoree: Sean Nichols
Nominated by Villa Madonna Academy

Sean, a sixth-grader at Villa Madonna Academy, has participated in numerous community outreach activities over the past seven years to help people better understand the challenges and abilities of people with physical disabilities. Sean has used a wheelchair or crutches to get around ever since he was diagnosed with a spinal cord inflammation called transverse myelitis at a very young age. "It causes difficulty walking and some other painful things," he explained. "For as long as I can remember, I have had people ask me about my disability. I learned how to speak up for myself." And speaking up is exactly what he's been doing.

Sean has participated in many disability awareness programs over the years. He has given talks at his school, served as a guest lecturer at the University of Cincinnati, delivered presentations to physical therapy students and fellow Cub Scouts, served as a "poster child" for the Transverse Myelitis Association's annual fundraiser, and collaborated with a high school wheelchair basketball team to promote disability awareness. In addition, he has enthusiastically demonstrated to others how he can ride horses and play basketball even with his disability. He estimates that more than 500 people have heard him talk about the challenges and abilities that can come with having a physical disability. "Hopefully they will now be more open to other people who have a disability," he said. On top of his disability work, Sean is active in his Scout community; he volunteered as a Cub Scout camp staffer this past summer, has served as troop librarian and, in 2016, represented the Cub Scouts in an Oval Office visit with the president.       

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are Kentucky's Distinguished Finalists for 2020:

Emily Morgan, 18, of Bowling Green, Kentucky, a senior at Greenwood High School, founded and runs "Every 98 Seconds," a nonprofit organization that collects and donates art supplies for children in her community who have experienced trauma; she spreads awareness of the importance of art therapy and has raised nearly $3,000 and more than 200 art supplies. Emily was motivated to start the organization by the proven benefits of art therapy for kids, and to help lift the stigma around discussing child abuse.

Madison Roy, 17, of Louisville, Kentucky, a senior at Whitefield Academy, started and runs "Read With Me," a literacy program designed to help elementary and middle school students improve their reading skills; through this program, she has collected and redistributed more than 6,800 new and gently used books. Along with spreading awareness of her initiative, Madison has also hosted numerous events, including book giveaways, reading camps, read-ins and a field trip.

Georgia Turpin, 16, of Harrodsburg, Kentucky, a member of Mercer County 4-H and a senior at Mercer County Senior High School, runs "Mission: Shared Smile," an organization that delivers handmade cards to children who are undergoing medical treatment; she has recruited students from local elementary and middle schools, church groups and her 4-H club to make more than 700 cards, and plans to expand her project to other states. Georgia was inspired to start this project after being evaluated for a tumor at the University of Kentucky Children's Hospital and discovering it was benign.

Chloe Yates, 15, of Prospect, Kentucky, a sophomore at North Oldham High School, has volunteered thousands of hours to establish a Special Olympics gymnastics team in her local community; to do so, she has completed extensive training, secured practice space, recruited and trained volunteers and regularly works with the program's 26 participants. Chloe has also spread awareness about her program and secured donations to cover her team's registration and uniform costs.

"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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