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

AUGUSTA, Maine, Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Isabel Berman, 17, of Cape Elizabeth and Charlie Austin, 14, of Brunswick today were named Maine'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, Isabel and Charlie 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 Maine's top youth volunteers of 2020:

High School State Honoree: Isabel Berman
Nominated by Cape Elizabeth High School

Isabel, a senior at Cape Elizabeth High School, made a video to educate middle-level students about the dangers of e-cigarettes and to discourage them from vaping. Two years ago, Isabel noticed a marked increase in vaping at her school–in locker rooms, school bathrooms, even in classrooms. "Addictions were taking over the lives of many students as vaping became the norm," Isabel said. "While many students thought it would be a fad, they quickly became addicted to the nicotine." Isabel knew what she wanted to do: make a video to get the message out that vaping is dangerous, and try especially to reach middle school students before they start the habit. 

After meeting a young woman who had become addicted to vaping but had been able to quit, Isabel decided she would create the video around her and her mother. Isabel began researching to learn everything she could about the consequences of vaping and how the e-cigarette industry markets its products. She interviewed doctors, a substance abuse professional, parents and students to get different perspectives. Isabel then wrote a script and shot and edited the video herself, focusing on vaping and topics such as peer pressure, refusal skills and the fragile nature of the developing brain. Her video has now been incorporated into her school district's middle school health curriculum, and has been shown at multiple community forums. "My video has been viewed by about 500 different individuals," said Isabel. "It has been an important discussion starter."

Middle Level State Honoree: Charlie Austin
Nominated by Brunswick Junior High School

Charlie, an eighth-grader at Brunswick Junior High School, helps young athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities on the basketball court through his volunteer work with a local chapter of Special Olympics. For most of his early years, Charlie was an all-star athlete whose life revolved around soccer, baseball and basketball. All that changed at age 12, when doctors diagnosed him with a rare genetic heart condition and told him he could never play competitive sports again. "I was devastated," Charlie said. But after the initial shock, Charlie decided that even though he would never compete again, he could help others improve their athletic prowess. "I realized being an athlete is not wearing a championship hat, but wearing an athlete state of mind," he said.

In late 2018, he decided to work with a Special Olympics Unified basketball team in several capacities. For this team of high school players, Charlie serves as assistant coach, statistician, score keeper and fundraiser. He also contributes food for team dinners and encourages his family, friends and acquaintances to attend games so the team has cheering fans in the stands. With his own money, Charlie created a team photo book that he gave to each player at the end of the season. In addition, Charlie recruited a friend to help him create gift bags containing warm hats, scarves and mittens for 500 winter athletes participating in the 2019 winter games at Sugarloaf Mountain. "Every athlete has different strengths and weaknesses," he said. "I wanted to help Special Olympic athletes find their personal strengths. In doing so, I found my own."           

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are Maine's Distinguished Finalists for 2020:

Olivia Neely, 15, of Old Town, Maine, a member of the Old Town-Orono YMCA and a freshman at Old Town High School, built an outdoor music structure at her local elementary school to encourage students to explore music; along with designing a xylophone made of PVC pipes, she organized two fundraisers to finance her project. Olivia hopes to continue her project by planning and building more musical structures in her community.

John Wahlig, 17, of Falmouth, Maine, a senior at Falmouth High School, regularly volunteers his time to several STEM-related initiatives; he established a high school computer programming club, organized a state-wide hackathon and is the founder of "Girls Code," through which he has taught software programming to more than 20 elementary school students. Initially inspired by his little sister, who wanted to learn how to code, John is currently expanding his Girls Code curriculum to include robotics.

"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.