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America's Top 10 Youth Volunteers Named In Sixth Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2001 /PRNewswire/ -- For extraordinary efforts
in aiding sick and disadvantaged children, battling disease,
protecting the environment, and serving their communities in
other important ways, five high school and five middle level
students were named America's top youth volunteers for 2001 today
in a ceremony here at the International Trade Center, capping
the sixth year of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
Each of the ten National Honorees received $5,000, an engraved gold medallion and a crystal trophy for his or her school. In addition, the ten National Honorees will have a total of $250,000 in toys, clothing and other juvenile products donated in their names to needy children in their areas by Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc., the national charity of the children's products industry.
Conducted in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created by Prudential in 1995 to encourage youth volunteerism and to identify and reward young role models.
The ceremony was part of a four-day celebration that brought the top two youth volunteers from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to Washington with their parents to be honored for their outstanding acts of community service.
The ten National Honorees, selected from an initial field of nearly 23,000 nominees, were announced by U.S. Senators Lincoln D. Chafee of Rhode Island and Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey, who co-chaired the national selection committee. The National Honorees are:
Kyle Amber, 11, of Pinecrest, Fla., a sixth-grader at Palmetto Middle School, who started a student-run organization that has raised more than $50,000 to improve the lives of children with cancer and other life- threatening illnesses.
Inspired by the bravery of his older brother Ian as he went through three years of chemotherapy for leukemia, Kyle started selling stickers when he was just 6 years old to raise money to help establish Miami's first center for pediatric bone marrow transplants. He spoke to other students about what he was doing, and soon they were helping. And as he branched out into other fund-raising projects - including bake sales, candy drives, toy collections, raffles and garage sales - teachers, businessmen and other adults joined the effort.
When he saw how many people were interested in helping, he conceived the idea of a kids' organization to help kids with cancer. His idea led to a non-profit organization called the Kids That Care Pediatric and Cancer Fund, which is affiliated with the foundation of Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. The group not only helped create Jackson Memorial's pediatric transplant unit, but also provides trips, toys, computers, clothing and other items that bring a smile to the faces of sick children. "You can't imagine how rewarding it is to help other people until you try it," Kyle said. "Once you start, you just can't stop."
Michael Kay, 13, of Wilmington, Ill., a member of the University of Illinois' Will County 4-H program in Joliet and an eighth-grader at L. J. Stevens Middle School, who developed a program to provide companionship for 61 handicapped residents of 10 group homes through "buddy" relationships with middle and high school students.
Inspired by his handicapped younger brother, Michael wanted to include people who often feel excluded, and to fight the stereotypes that many have of those who are different. His program, called "Share a Friend," was designed to accomplish both goals.
Michael first approached the administrators of the 10 area group homes for their approval and asked members of his 4-H club for their help in administering the program. He then publicized the program, spoke to community groups, recruited 84 middle and high school students to become buddies, and raised money to fund the program.
He schedules activities such as bowling and golf outings and birthday and holiday parties, which the group home residents had not enjoyed before. "We can all make a difference in someone's life, and sometimes in the smallest ways," said Michael.
His program recently became the Share A Friend 4-H Foundation in memory of his brother, Kyle, who died in February. Michael is now working with state government officials to expand his program to group homes across Illinois.
Kate Klinkerman, 14, of Inez, Texas, a freshman at Memorial High School in Victoria, who spearheaded an oil-recycling program called "Don't Be Crude" in her rural county to help prevent water contamination caused by crude oil dumping.
Kate started her campaign three years ago when she noticed her father pouring used motor oil alongside their barn, a common way to control pests and weeds on farms. She had learned in school that crude oil can pollute groundwater, which many people rely on for drinking.
"I knew something had to be done," she said, and resolved to find a way to recycle the huge amounts of oil and hydraulic fluid produced through farming. Two of Kate's friends joined her, and soon they secured the donation of a do-it- yourself collection unit, found a company that would accept used fluids, and obtained government approval to begin.
The team has since given recycling demonstrations and educational talks to thousands, developed an environmental program at area schools, and opened several more collection sites. More than 2,000 gallons of oil and hydraulic fluid are now recycled through her program every month. Kate plans to continue "Don't Be Crude" for several years, and hopes to expand into neighboring counties.
Kay Lauren Miller, 17, of Vienna, Va., a junior at James Madison High School, who founded Reach Out and Read, Inc. (ROAR), an organization of student volunteers who collect and distribute used books to homeless shelters and other facilities where there are children who cannot afford books of their own.
Kay Lauren, who has overcome dyslexia, knows how important it is for children to read. "Reading is the basis of knowledge," she said, "so I wanted to help make sure that needy children would have books to read."
She began by contacting homeless shelters to see if they needed books, and when several responded, Kay Lauren held her first drive in 1997. Its success prompted her to begin recruiting student volunteers to help her promote future book drives, collect and sort donated books, and get them into the hands of underprivileged kids.
To date, she has distributed more than 30,000 books and set up libraries at shelters, daycare centers, and elementary schools in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. She even sent 400 books to a small town in South Dakota after a tornado destroyed its library, and is now planning a project in the Bahamas. Kay Lauren's long-term goal is to start ROAR chapters in all 50 states.
Evan Shore, 17, of Watchung, N.J., a junior at The Pingry School in Martinsville, who created and runs the Noah's Ark Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps museums, zoos and aquariums generate additional operating revenue by providing their gift shops with custom- embroidered clothing at manufacturer's cost.
"When I was very young, my father would often take me to visit the American Museum of Natural History in New York," Evan said. "Early on, these trips taught me that I could not only learn from visiting museums, I could also have a lot of fun. I wanted to give something back."
After discovering that gift-shop sales are a major contributor to museum profitability, Evan and two partners developed a business plan and product samples, and approached a buyer for the Associated Humane Society -- who loved the design and gave them their first order. Over the past three years the Noah's Ark Foundation has produced shirts, hats, jackets, scarves and attache cases -- all with custom logos -- for more than 30 institutions in 10 states, and has enabled its customers to earn more than $200,000 on the sale of these products for the support of their organizations. "There is a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction associated with helping others," said Evan.
Caitlin Steiger, 17, of Memphis, Tenn., a junior at White Station High School, who organized an annual 5-kilometer running race that has brought in nearly $50,000 to benefit Hope House, a daycare center for underprivileged children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. "The children are so innocent, and without Hope House, many of them would have nowhere to go," she explained.
Caitlin, an avid cross-country runner, began participating in local 5K road races when she was in the eighth grade, and after learning about Hope House, felt a benefit race would be a great fund-raiser for the center. She met with a local running club to get information on how to organize a race, and then wrote hundreds of letters seeking corporate sponsors and food donations. Caitlin also promoted the event by designing brochures and distributing press releases. Finally, she organized a crew of volunteers who assisted with race registration, water stops and other tasks.
The first year, Caitlin's event raised more than $23,000, and last November, her second race generated approximately $25,000. Caitlin will turn the event over to another organizer next year, as she prepares for college. After last November's race, Hope House's executive director announced that the event in coming years will be called Caitlin's Help for Hope House 5K Run in honor of its founder.
Cody Unser, 14, of Corrales, N.M., an eighth-grader at the Bosque School in Albuquerque, who established the Cody Unser First Step Foundation to focus attention and research on a rare spinal cord inflammation called transverse myelitis, after she was paralyzed by the condition in early 1999.
"After six weeks of intense rehab," said Cody, "I returned home in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the chest down. I decided to take a negative experience and turn it into a positive to help others - and me." With help from her mother, she created a not-for-profit corporation that is now working to promote public awareness of TM; encourage collaboration among doctors and hospitals that treat the disease; and raise money for research.
Cody consulted with doctors and physical therapists around the country, built a Web site, became an ambassador for the world's only TM center at Johns Hopkins University, and recently helped organize a national consortium that will seek to establish TM centers of excellence across the country. She also spends hours a day talking to other TM sufferers, answering mail, and working on fundraising ideas.
"I have learned that you are not handicapped unless you think you are," said Cody, whose father is race-car champion Al Unser, Jr. "Most important, I've learned how important hope is, and to never give up. No one should ever take this life for granted."
Amanda Waas, 16, of Miami, Fla., a sophomore at Miami Palmetto Senior High School, who developed Positive Packs, a fund-raising and "patient comfort" program designed to help young cancer and hematology patients endure their long hours of medical treatment.
After seeing her 10-year-old neighbor suffer through chemotherapy, Amanda realized that children like him needed something to distract them from the frightening aspects of their illness and to keep them busy during lengthy periods of treatment. "I knew I could do something to help," she said.
Her idea: to provide clinics and hospitals with brightly colored backpacks filled with toys, reading materials and other fun items for young patients to play with while undergoing treatment. Amanda created a sample pack, designed a logo and flyers, and began seeking sponsors and donations through letters, phone calls and appeals to newspaper and television stations in her area. When she delivered her first 25 packs, she realized she had achieved her goal of "getting kids to see at least one positive thing about having to go to the hospital."
A short time later, her mother, aunt and grandfather were all battling various kinds of cancer, and Amanda expanded her activities to include fund-raising for cancer research. After six years of work, Amanda's program has raised more than $35,000 for the American Cancer Society and The Children's Cancer Fund.
Holly Walker, 14, of Henderson, Nev., an eighth-grader at Thurman White Middle School, who launched