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New Book for Teen Readers Profiles 20 Top Youth VolunteersWho Made A Big Difference in Their Communities
DANBURY, Conn., Oct. 5,2000 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty of the nation's
top youth volunteers tell the inspiring stories of how and why
they got involved in community service projects that ended up
receiving national recognition for their creativity and impact,
in a new book released Oct. 5, 2000 by Franklin Watts, a division
of Grolier Publishing, a Scholastic Company.
"Catch the Spirit," by social psychologist and award-winning writer Susan K. Perry, Ph.D., profiles 20 middle level and high school students who have received Prudential Spirit of Community Awards over the past five years. These exceptional young people tell, in their own words, how they became aware of a particular need in their communities, why they felt compelled to take action, and what they did to make a difference. They also describe the impact their projects have had on others, and the deep personal satisfaction they derived from their experiences.
The 173-page book also offers extensive information on how young people can get started in volunteering, more than 200 real-life ideas for service projects, and lists of informational resources for youth volunteers. Among the young volunteers featured in the book are:
-- David Levitt of Seminole, Fla., who persuaded his school district to donate more than 55,000 pounds of unused food from 92 schools to a local food distribution service for the hungry.
-- Emily Douglas of Powell, Ohio, who founded an organization in her grandma's memory to provide clothing, books and educational toys to needy children in Appalachia.
-- Brian Harris of Stanton, Calif., who was motivated by his multi-ethnic background to launch a letter-writing service that introduced 20,000 people around the world to pen pals of different races.
-- Alisia Orosco of Abilene, Texas, who used her own allowance and babysitting money to buy stuffed animals for sick and abused children in memory of her late baby brother.
-- Jenny Hungerford of Orfordville, Wis., who used her own experiences as a drug addict and runaway to deliver dramatic presentations and motivational speeches to other young people on the dangers of substance abuse.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, created in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, is the nation's largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. Since its inception, the program has honored more than 25,000 young Americans at the local, state and national level, and is now operating in Japan, Korea and Taiwan as well.
Each fall, the program names thousands of local honorees in communities across the U.S., based on criteria such as personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth. The top two in each state are then awarded $1,000 grants, silver medallions and a trip to Washington, D.C., for several days of national recognition events. In Washington, ten are named America's top youth volunteers of the year, and receive an additional $5,000, a gold medallion and a crystal trophy. More information about the program is available in the community involvement section of http://www.prudential.com.
Author Susan K. Perry was inspired to write the book after hearing about the award three years ago. "Most pre-teens and teens are very idealistic," she said, "and they long to have an impact on the world around them. I wrote this book to show them that real teens just like them have found ways to change their communities for the better. I included details about challenges and how they were managed, as well as the genuine emotional payoff these volunteers received from their caring activities. With the help of 'Catch the Spirit,' I believe that many more young people will have gratifying volunteer experiences."
Perry, a psychologist who researches and writes about family-related topics, has authored several books, including the best-selling "Writing in Flow"; the award-winning "Playing Smart"; and "Fun Time, Family Time." She has written more than 700 articles for publications such as Seventeen, Teen, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, Child and Parenting, and she wrote a nationally syndicated book review column for L.A. Parent. She teaches writing through the extension departments of UCLA, UC Irvine, California State University Fullerton, and others, as well as online for Writer's Digest. She also teaches psychology at Woodbury University. She lives in Los Angeles.
"Catch the Spirit" is available at local libraries and can be purchased at bookstores in paperback for $14.95 and hardcover for $33.00. More information about the book can be found at http://www.grolier.com, http://www.bunnyape.com and http://www.prudential.com.
SOURCE Scholastic
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