North Carolina's Top Youth Volunteers Of 2018 Selected By National Program

RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Frances Millen, 17, of Davidson and William Winslow, 12, of Raleigh today were named North Carolina'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, Frances and William 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 North Carolina's top youth volunteers of 2018:

High School State Honoree: Frances Millen
Nominated by William Amos Hough High School in Cornelius

Frances, a senior at William Amos Hough High School, has helped level the technology playing field for students in need in her community by providing them with more than 4,000 laptops, along with software and internet access, through a nonprofit she co-founded in the seventh grade. "In middle school, I noticed that all of our homework seemed to be online, but I knew that not all of my classmates had the technology to do it," said Frances. "It didn't seem fair." A conversation with her parents got her thinking about how to close this "digital divide," and with the help of her father, she hatched a plan. 

Her initial idea was to help students in need at her former elementary school. She identified 54 kids whose families had no computer at home and then raised money to furnish them with refurbished computers and new software, persuaded the mayor of her town to provide low-cost broadband access, and found college students to teach the families to use the technology. Then, when Lowe's Home Improvement offered to give Frances 500 decommissioned laptops per year, she decided to expand her project to 140 public schools in Charlotte. She began asking area businesses for donated laptops and hosting an annual "Mega Lemonade Day," a day when kids from 100 elementary schools set up lemonade stands all over the county to raise money. So far, the "Eliminate the Digital Divide (E2D)" program has distributed more than 4,000 laptops and opened technology labs at three high schools where students are paid twice the minimum wage to refurbish computers. "It is critical that students today have computers to do their school work, or they'll be left behind," said Frances.  

Middle Level State Honoree: William Winslow
Nominated by Daniels Magnet Middle School in Raleigh

William, a sixth-grader at Daniels Magnet Middle School, fights childhood hunger in his community by holding food drives to fill backpacks with weekend food for children who otherwise might go hungry, and by helping to build school gardens in neighborhoods where access to fresh food is limited. When William was in first grade, his school counselor told his class about the importance of Backpack Buddies, a program run by a local hunger relief agency for children from low-income homes. "I knew I wanted to do more to help kids in need," said William.

So he got to work organizing a food drive, which has become an annual event. With the help of his family, William set up a website and posted a signup sheet for participants. He recruited 11 stores in the county to participate, organized 150 volunteers to work in pairs during the one-day event, and publicized it through fliers and posters. Each year his drive has collected more than $10,000 worth of food to fill backpacks for classmates in need. When William learned that his community needed sustainable as well as emergency hunger relief, he applied for a grant to build a fruit and vegetable garden at a local school. Working with others in the food relief community, he helped develop a plan and recruited volunteers to help. Thus far, the group has built two school gardens in areas where there are no nearby grocery stores. "The children at the schools will learn how to grow their own food, how to prepare it, and what healthy eating is all about," said William.          

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are North Carolina's Distinguished Finalists for 2018:

Riley Buelow, 13, of Charlotte, N.C., a seventh-grader at South Charlotte Middle School, is a co-founder and board member of "Laps for Love," a youth-run initiative that has raised more than $110,000 for the Charlotte Rescue Mission over the past three years by hosting charitable swim events. In addition to board responsibilities including monthly meetings, Riley identifies and recruits event sponsors and manages media relations.

Alexander Fultz, 12, of Pineville, N.C., a seventh-grader at Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, has raised more than $10,000 since 2010 to provide gifts to young patients at a local children's hospital, and recently focused his efforts on providing a gift for every baby in the NICU. Inspired to help sick kids after his brother was hospitalized as a baby, Alexander started his drive using his allowance money; today, he hosts fundraisers and a school collection, speaks with other kids to raise awareness of his mission and more.

Katelyn Higgins, 18, of Winterville, N.C., a senior at South Central High School, played a key role in an initiative that's engaged hundreds of middle school students throughout the state in water quality testing activities, and used her experience to consult on the construction of a water science lab at a local nature center. Katelyn has also served with the youth leadership council of the environmental nonprofit EarthEcho International.

Malika Rawal, 16, of Charlotte, N.C., a sophomore at Providence Day School, is the founder and director of the "HelpHygiene Foundation," a hygiene education initiative and supply drive that's raised more than $15,000 and donated thousands of toiletries and pairs of shoes for people living in poverty in Charlotte and abroad. Malika estimates that more than 3,200 families in need have been impacted by her foundation's efforts.

Payton Safriet, 11, of Archdale, N.C., a sixth-grader at Braxton Craven Middle School, has volunteered for more than a year with the Helping Hands emergency assistance agency, working during the summer and other days off to package food for people in need and man the front desk while other volunteers take their breaks. After learning about food insecurity while running a food drive for the agency in fifth grade, Payton decided to volunteer there more often.

Shaylynn Sharpe, 15, of Kings Mountain, N.C., a freshman at Cleveland County Early College High School, leads "Leggings of Love," an initiative that has provided care packages to 40 kids served by the Children's Miracle Network. Inspired by the story of a local girl hospitalized far from home, Shaylynn has worked with her family, with the support of more than 2,000 contributors, to provide hospitalized kids with pairs of leggings and other treats.

"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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