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

JACKSON, Miss., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Logan Thornton, 17, of Hattiesburg and Amelia Cook, 13, of Pascagoula today were named Mississippi'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, Logan and Amelia 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 Mississippi's top youth volunteers of 2020:

High School State Honoree: Logan Thornton
Nominated by Purvis High School

Logan, a senior at Purvis High School, collects used children's rehabilitation equipment from families that no longer need it, cleans and makes necessary repairs, and then delivers it to children with disabilities who couldn't otherwise afford it. Logan embarked on his equipment exchange program after his mother, a pediatric physical therapist, introduced him to a little boy being treated for a spinal cord injury. "His family was not able to buy him the equipment he needed to go to school and be independent," said Logan. "My heart hurt for him. He told me he just wanted to be a 'regular boy.'" Logan found him a power wheelchair. "Just seeing the delight on his face was enough to make me continue," he said.

Since then, Logan has located equipment for more than 40 children and has donated more than 30 other pieces of equipment to a summer camp for children with disabilities, where he has volunteered for several years. He relies on his mother to identify families in need of rehabilitation equipment, as well as those with children who have outgrown their equipment or simply no longer need it. He coordinates a process to match donors and recipients, then picks up the donated equipment and stores it in a friend's basement. He makes any needed repairs and asks a local company to modify it to ensure a proper fit for the new owner. "I have learned so much about children with disabilities and how their disability should not keep them from participating in everything everywhere," said Logan.

Middle Level State Honoree: Amelia Cook
Nominated by Resurrection Catholic Middle/High School

Amelia, a seventh-grader at Resurrection Catholic Middle/High School, raises money for a wide array of causes by baking cakes and cookies and selling them through a Facebook page. "I have always had a desire to help others," said Amelia. Her earliest efforts involved a series of lemonade stands that raised funds for, among many other things, an international humanitarian agency that provides food, schooling and basic necessities for children in other countries. As a result of her efforts, Amelia learned of an orphaned boy who needed extensive cleft palate surgery. "When I saw the picture of little Liang, I was overcome with sadness and knew I needed to do something," she said.

Having a passion for baking, Amelia started making cakes and cookies, advertised them on Facebook and received an "overwhelming" response from her community. It wasn't long before she exceeded the amount needed for Liang's surgery. Now, each week, she makes supply and grocery lists, collects cake and cookie orders, does her baking, schedules deliveries and pickups, and logs all expenses and revenues. With her proceeds, she has been able to pay for part of a child's heart surgery, another child's school tuition, a year's supply of school supplies for three students and shoes for 10 children in need. In addition, Amelia's baking business has purchased a sewing machine for a single mother, barnyard animals for a family's livelihood, and gardening equipment and supplies for another family. She also helped pay to fix termite damage in her school's library.          

Distinguished Finalists

The program judges also recognized four other Mississippi students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Mississippi's Distinguished Finalists for 2020:

Haley Jones, 17, of Tupelo, Mississippi, a junior at Shannon High School, volunteers in a variety of ways to fight colon cancer; she helps promote and participates in an annual "Fight For Your Buns 5K," donated paintings to be auctioned to benefit a cancer care fund, and successfully petitioned to have March declared "Colon Cancer Awareness Month" in her town. Haley was inspired to promote this cause after her grandmother was successfully treated for colon cancer.

Claire Kenney, 16, of Tupelo, Mississippi, a sophomore at Tupelo High School, created "Waves for Change," a club at her high school that collects and recycles single-use plastics at the sports fields in her community; her efforts with the club include distributing and collecting recycling receptacles and posting informational signs. Claire first started this initiative after speaking with her town's mayor and parks and recreation department and discovering there wasn't a recycling program in place.

Marlie McClung, 17, of Tishomingo, Mississippi, a senior at Belmont School, is a youth activist who spreads awareness of the dangers of teen tobacco use; her efforts include giving presentations at her high school and a local elementary school, starting an anti-tobacco student club and serving on a local youth advocacy team and mayoral health council. Marlie also participates in an annual "Kick Butts Day," encouraging other young people to pledge not to smoke or vape in the future.

Claire Pugh, 14, of Oxford, Mississippi, an eighth-grader at Lafayette Middle School, started "Circle of Friends," a club in her school district that pairs students with and without special needs; her efforts include gaining administrative support, securing grants, recruiting volunteers, pairing "buddies" and organizing a field trip to see an ice show. Circle of Friends has impacted the lives of more than 80 students in grades 3-12.

"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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