HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 7,
2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Isha Dalal, 17 and Rachel Weintraub, 13, both of Trumbull, today were named Connecticut's top two youth volunteers of 2017
by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program
honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As
State Honorees, Isha and Rachel 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 2017.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its
22nd year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in
partnership with the National Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP).
These are Connecticut's top
youth volunteers of 2017:
High School State Honoree: Isha Dalal
Nominated by Trumbull
High School in Trumbull
Isha, a senior at Trumbull High School, founded an organization
of 60 students from across Connecticut called "Voice" that seeks to
propose and promote state legislation addressing educational
inequality and other important issues. A self-described "book
nerd," Isha began volunteering two years ago at a local literacy
center and quickly saw that many children did not have the
educational opportunities she took for granted. One little boy told
her his mother worked three jobs and struggled to get him extra
help with reading. "That's when I decided I would do everything in
my power to provide equal opportunities in education for all
students," she said.
Isha envisioned an organization in which students could share
opinions and ideas about a variety of societal problems, and then
work to advance legislative solutions in the state capital. The
group has focused initially on increasing childhood literacy rates
in Connecticut by organizing
legislative workshops, lobbying state officials, and conducting
book drives and reading events. Isha sees her group tackling other
issues in the future, including cyberbullying and school
climate.
Middle Level State Honoree: Rachel Weintraub
Nominated by
Hillcrest Middle School in Trumbull
Rachel, an eighth-grader at Hillcrest Middle School, started an
anti-bullying initiative to draw attention to the plight of bullied
children in her community through speeches, special events, and the
arts. Like so many kids today, Rachel was once the victim of a
bully. "I didn't know what to do," she said. "But I came to find
out that many of my friends had been bullied as well." Rachel
wanted to put a stop to this kind of behavior at school and give
voice to all students who are afraid to talk about what is
happening to them, so she came up with the "Words Can Soar"
initiative.
Rachel began by speaking in classrooms about the issue. She then
created flyers and recruited volunteers to help spread the word,
organized anti-bullying events, solicited corporate donations,
painted an anti-bullying mural at her school, and even wrote a song
about bullying. Her biggest event was a cabaret in New York City that featured fellow Broadway
actors and raised more than $5,000
for anti-bullying efforts. In addition, Rachel has made public
service announcements denouncing bullying, sought coverage by news
media, and appeared at numerous venues to raise awareness and funds
to fight this pervasive problem.
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Connecticut students as Distinguished
Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each
will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Connecticut's
Distinguished Finalists for 2017:
Sivani Arvapalli, 12, of South
Windsor, Conn., a seventh-grader at Timothy Edwards School,
is an active member of the youth service group Power of Peace, and
has helped the group raise $72,000
over the past three years for a variety of charitable causes by
holding talent shows and charity dinner events. Sivani has also
held tutoring sessions over the past three summers to help younger
kids prepare for the upcoming school year.
Nicole Cennamo, 17, of
New Fairfield, Conn., a senior at
New Fairfield High School, is the founder and president of "The
PEACE Project" at her school, working with six student officers to
coordinate events to support human rights and the well-being of
minorities. Nicole's group, which started in August 2015 and now draws around 40 regular
volunteers, has coordinated initiatives including an LGBT+ Pride
Month and an annual "Culture Shock Day" that celebrates ethnic
diversity through food, art and music.
Cynthia Dias, 17, of
Wolcott, Conn., a senior at
Wolcott High School, is a dedicated literacy advocate who spends
more than 20 hours a month promoting reading, and established a
children's literacy program in 2014 that now draws 30 young
participants a month. In addition to tutoring, reading and donating
books to the kids in her "Reading is Succeeding" program, Cynthia
has collaborated with and coordinated book drives for several local
literacy organizations.
Jack Kealey, 13, of
Bethany, Conn., an eighth-grader
at Hopkins School, has been a citizen lobbyist for the past six
years focused on environmental and animal protection, raising
awareness with Connecticut
lawmakers of how proposed legislation affects kids and the
community. Jack has also organized school field trips to the state
Capitol to teach his peers about the legislative process, and
recently volunteered for a state legislator and the insurance and
real estate committee.
"Prudential is honored to recognize these young volunteers for
their exemplary service," said Prudential Chairman and CEO
John Strangfeld. "We hope that their
stories inspire others to consider how they, too, can volunteer
their time and talents to improve their communities."
"These service-minded young people have brought meaningful
change to communities at home and abroad, and it's a privilege to
celebrate their work," said JoAnn
Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "Congratulations to
an exceptional group of middle level and high school students."
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 HandsOn Network affiliates, 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 8, 10 of the State Honorees –
five middle level and five high school students – will be named
America's top youth volunteers of 2017. 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 115,000 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 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 Association of Student Councils. 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
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SOURCE Prudential Insurance