New Hampshire's Top Youth Volunteers Of 2018 Selected By National Program

CONCORD, N.H., Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Briana Demers, 17, of Salem and Isabel Povey, 14, of Hampstead today were named New Hampshire's top two youth volunteers of 2018 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Briana and Isabel each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in late April 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 2018.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 23^rd year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

These are New Hampshire's top youth volunteers of 2018:

High School State Honoree: Briana Demers
Nominated by Salem High School in Salem

Briana, a senior at Salem High School, helps provide television coverage of community meetings and events as a volunteer for public access TV stations in Salem and Londonderry, and teaches and mentors younger students in filmmaking as the leader of her school's film club. Briana didn't expect to find her passion when she joined her school's film club as a freshman. But when it looked like the club was in danger of dying because of dwindling membership, "I took it into my own hands to continue it," she said. "It opened a whole new world to me. I saw how much it could change students' lives."

As the leader of the Blue Devil Film Club, Briana makes sure club members have access to the tools and training they need to grow as script writers and film makers. She plans their activities, cleans up scripts, edits film projects, assembles equipment, produces graphics, and fills out paperwork for film festival entries. Briana also organizes a media camp for elementary school kids. At the local public access TV outlets, she assists in the filming of school board meetings, special events around town, sports events and school concerts and plays, and then edits the finished product. Even though it can be hard work "dragging what feels like 60 pounds of equipment out into a field in the rain," Briana says she loves every minute of it. Especially when she thinks about a house-bound grandmother who couldn't attend her granddaughter's concert, but was able to see it anyway in a video that Briana created.

Middle Level State Honoree: Isabel Povey
Nominated by Hampstead Middle School in Hampstead

Isabel, an eighth-grader at Hampstead Middle School, has led more than 15 food drives over the past four years to help feed families in her state who don't have enough to eat. When Isabel was 7 years old, her dance team made placemats for a local soup kitchen. Upon delivering them, "I was at first shocked by the large need for a dinner right here in my hometown," said Isabel. "Then I could feel the gratitude. Even though these people evidently had so little, they were so thankful for the warm soup in their bellies. I knew instantly I wanted to help."

Since that day, Isabel estimates that she has spent 1,800 hours working alone and with others to provide food for people in need. Working with organizations such as HOPE International Worldwide, Blessings In a Backpack, Take a Bite, and the New Hampshire Food Bank, Isabel has organized food drives that have yielded thousands of pounds of food. She also raised money and led a team of family and friends in three walks to end hunger for CROP Walk America, Stomp out Hunger and One Step at a Time. On occasion, Isabel has met some of the beneficiaries of her food drives and is always inspired by them. "There is no way I would rather spend a Saturday morning than rolling up my sleeves, working hard, and eventually putting a smile on someone's face," Isabel said.

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are New Hampshire's Distinguished Finalists for 2018:

Chloe Van Dyne, 17, of Albany, N.H., a senior at Kennett High School, plays a key role in running the "Eagles Clawset," a free consignment store based out of a classroom that provides students in need with clothes, shoes and toiletries donated by the community. Chloe worked for six weeks to set up the store back in 2015, and now recruits volunteers to help her keep donations sorted and stocked.

Kaitlyn Wilson, 17, of Salem, N.H., a senior at Salem High School, has served for the past two years as president of her school's Best Buddies chapter, organizing and managing events and fundraisers in support of the group's mission: promoting the social inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Kaitlyn has been an active participant with the chapter since she was a freshman, and has also played a key role in publicity and participant recruitment efforts.

"Prudential is proud to recognize these remarkable young people for using their energy, creativity and compassion to bring meaningful change to their communities," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. "We hope their stories inspire others to consider how they can do the same."

"These middle level and high school students have not only improved the lives of the people and communities they've served – they also set an important example for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "These honorees prove that you're never too young to make a difference."

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 April 30, 10 of the State Honorees – five middle level and five high school students – will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2018. 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 120,000 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, Brazil and Poland. 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 middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high quality professional learning experiences. 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. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit 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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