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

CARSON CITY, Nev., Feb. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Irene Yoo, 15 and Abigail Panariso, 13, both of Las Vegas, today were named Nevada'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, Irene and Abigail 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 Nevada's top youth volunteers of 2020:

High School State Honoree: Irene Yoo
Nominated by Ed W. Clark High School

Irene, a sophomore at Ed W. Clark High School, formed a youth orchestra in the winter of 2019 that conducts recitals at senior care facilities and children's hospitals in her community. Irene began playing the viola when she was 11 years old and has since performed in several youth orchestras, including the Korean Youth Orchestra, which sometimes held concerts at senior centers.  "Our audience always loved our music, and after each performance we spent time chatting with the seniors," said Irene. She really enjoyed interacting with older people, she said, but the problem was that many of her musician friends weren't Korean, so they weren't eligible to join. Irene envisioned a group of young musicians coming together based on ability and the love of music, without regard to nationality. So she founded a youth group she called "Las Vegas Arts, Music & Education."

Irene began by recruiting members by distributing fliers to young orchestra players and posting ads on Facebook and other social media sites. She asked her school piano teacher to serve as conductor, found inexpensive space for rehearsals, and contacted several senior care centers to see if they wanted an orchestra to perform at their facilities. Her group now plays at both senior centers and children's hospitals, usually playing six pieces in a 40-minute concert. To cover her orchestra's expenses, Irene organized a "slime" festival and conducts classes to teach others how to make the gooey, sticky substance that kids love to mold and stretch (her Instagram page on slime has more than 180,000 followers). "I know our performances make a difference in the lives of patients in children's hospitals and senior centers," said Irene. "We bring happiness to many, and get so much in return."

Middle Level State Honoree: Abigail Panariso
Nominated by Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada

Abigail, an eighth-grader at Thurman White Middle School, donated more than $1,300 last year to buy eight new wheelchairs for veterans traveling on free "honor flights" to Washington, D.C., organized a letter-writing campaign that produced more than 500 letters thanking them for their service, and recruited hundreds of people to welcome them back home after their trip. When Abigail's grandfather returned home from serving in Vietnam, he did not receive the warm welcome that greeted previous generations of soldiers. "It was the opposite," said Abigail. "This inspired me and I knew I had to do something to show our veterans how we haven't forgotten and that they are very much respected and appreciated."

As a volunteer for Honor Flight of Southern Nevada for four years, Abigail had noticed how the wheelchairs used for transporting elderly veterans in the nation's capital were breaking and were very heavy. So with $1,250 she had earned from selling Girl Scout cookies, along with donations from friends, she purchased eight lightweight all-terrain wheelchairs. Then she asked teachers at her school for help in getting students to write appreciation letters for the veterans. The most difficult part of her project, Abigail said, was rounding up people to be at the airport when the veterans' plane landed. Swallowing her fear of public speaking, she made appeals at her school and church, at Boy and Girl Scout gatherings, and at a local congresswoman's town hall meeting. When the day of the return flight arrived, the veterans disembarked to the cheers and applause of hundreds.

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are Nevada's Distinguished Finalists for 2020:
Alyssa Casa, 17, of Las Vegas, Nevada, a senior at Casa Academy of Technology, completed a community service project called "Fashion And Hope," through which she made fashionable hospital gowns for children with critical illnesses; her efforts included researching gown requirements, soliciting material donations, making the gowns and filming a tutorial so others could contribute. Alyssa also participated in a sea turtle rescue mission and conservation trip in Costa Rica through Girl Scouts.

Erin Keene, 18, of Henderson, Nevada, a member of the Girls Scouts of Southern Nevada and a senior at Ed W. Clark High School, wrote a speech and debate handbook called "Speak UP," outlining rules for individual events, video examples, tips for success and other helpful information for new competitors and programs; she then distributed physical and digital copies to debate programs in her community. Erin was inspired to start this project to provide information and resources to students in schools without robust debate programs.

Payten Lewis, 18, of Minden, Nevada, a senior at Douglas High School, has volunteered more than 100 hours of her time to benefit her community's suicide prevention network; along with making signs for the organization's annual walk, she recruited volunteers and participants and helped host their "Gotta Dance" fundraising event. Payten was first inspired to start volunteering her time toward this cause by her grandmother, who is the director of their local suicide prevention network.

Jordyn Lucas, 12, of Las Vegas, Nevada, a sixth-grader at Lied Middle School, ran two virtual food drives in her community, collecting online donations to benefit local food bank Three Square; she raised more than $17,000 to help provide more than 50,000 meals. Jordyn completed both of her food drives over her school's winter and summer breaks in order to provide extra support to students who benefit from free or reduced lunch programs.

"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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