Two West Virginia Youth Honored for Volunteerism at National Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two West Virginia students, Anastacia Meadows, 17, of Huntington and Cody Gallagher, 14, of Fairmont, were honored in the nation’s capital last night for their outstanding volunteer work during the presentation of The 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The two young people – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – received $1,000 awards as well as personal congratulations from former First Lady Laura Bush at the 14^th annual award ceremony and gala dinner reception, held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

“Anastacia and Cody are inspiring examples of young Americans who care deeply about the needs of others and who have taken the initiative to help meet those needs”

Anastacia and Cody were named the top high school and middle level youth volunteers in West Virginia last February. In addition to their cash awards, they received engraved silver medallions and an all-expense-paid trip with their parents to Washington, D.C., for this week’s recognition events.

“The young people receiving these awards genuinely care about making a difference in the lives of others and have accomplished so much – in their own communities and around the world,” said Mrs. Bush, who delivered the keynote address at last night’s ceremony. “I thank and congratulate them for their outstanding volunteer work. Students with this kind of commitment and leadership ability are essential to the future of our nation.”

Anastacia, a member of the Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council in Charleston and a junior at Cabell Midland High School in Ona, promoted recycling in her school and community by establishing a recycling program, founding a school environmental club, and participating in community events. Anastacia embarked on her project after seeing a garbage truck haul away a huge amount of newspapers from her school one morning. “I was appalled at the amount of waste my school was making,” she said. “A good environment is not permanent, and I knew that if someone did not start something soon, our West Virginia hills would not seem so ‘majestic and grand.’”

Anastacia obtained permission from school officials to launch a classroom paper-recycling program. It was such a success that she soon expanded it to the Barboursville Library and local businesses. After she participated in a community recycling forum, Goodwill Industries agreed to place two permanent paper-recycling bins at her high school. Anastacia also promoted recycling with an educational booth at a community health fair. In addition, Anastacia founded an “eco club” that now has more than 50 members, making it the second-largest club in her school. The club not only works on environmental projects, but also collects pet supplies for an animal rescue center, and pop tabs for a Ronald McDonald House. “If everyone would stand up for something they cared about, imagine the difference that would be made!” said Anastacia.

Cody, an eighth-grader at Rivesville Middle School in Rivesville, buys and collects toy bears in order to give them away randomly to children and adults simply because he wants to “make people feel good about themselves.” After conducting a campaign for several years to collect books for disadvantaged families, Cody decided to expand his efforts and give away toy bears as well. “I want to let people know that someone cares about them as a person,” he said. “By introducing stuffed animals, I could enhance and reinforce the concept of reading, sharing, and caring about others.”

With his mother’s help, Cody started shopping for stuffed bears at sales and on eBay, and as word of his project spread, he began to receive donated bears from others. When his family’s dining room filled up with bears, he contacted daycare facilities and Head Start centers to schedule visits, during which he read books to the children and then gave each one a bear. He has distributed bears to kids at local hospitals, pre-schools, a domestic violence shelter, and a foster care program, too. Cody keeps a box of bears in his family’s car so he can hand them out to anyone he encounters in his daily activities. When he gives them to adults, he encourages them to buy two bears and pass them along to two more people. That’s why he calls his project “Share a Bear, Show You Care.” “There is no greater feeling than to know you made a difference in someone’s life and asked for nothing in return,” he said.

“Anastacia and Cody are inspiring examples of young Americans who care deeply about the needs of others and who have taken the initiative to help meet those needs,” said John R. Strangfeld, Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “By honoring them, we hope not only to give them the recognition they so richly deserve, but also to inspire others to follow their example.”

Nearly 20,000 young people submitted applications for the 2009 awards program last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of the Points of Light Institute’s HandsOn Network. The top middle level and high school applicants in each state were selected in February, and were flown to Washington this week with their parents for four days of special recognition events.

Conducted in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created 14 years ago by Prudential Financial, Inc. to encourage youth volunteerism and to identify and reward young role models. Since then, the program has honored nearly 90,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.

“The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is a fabulous partnership between NASSP and Prudential, allowing us to recognize the outstanding young people in our schools and communities,” said NASSP President Larry Bradley. “This year’s honorees exemplify the true spirit of helping others and by doing so they give America and the world a promising future, a future filled with compassion and hope.”

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards are supported by the American Association of School Administrators, the National Middle School Association, the National School Boards Association, the Council of the Great City Schools, Girl Scouts of the USA, National 4-H Council, the American Red Cross, YMCA of the USA, the Points of Light Institute, and other national education and service organizations.

More information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year’s honorees can be found at http://spirit.prudential.com or www.principals.org/prudential.

In existence since 1916, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. NASSP’s mission is to promote excellence in school leadership. The National Honor Society®, National Junior Honor Society®, National Elementary Honor Society™, and National Association of Student Councils® are all NASSP programs. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, Va., visit www.principals.org or call 703-860-0200.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) is a financial services leader with operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Leveraging its heritage of life insurance and asset management expertise, Prudential is focused on helping approximately 50 million individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth. The company’s well-known Rock symbol is an icon of strength, stability, expertise and innovation that has stood the test of time. Prudential's businesses offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management, and real estate services. For more information, visit www.news.prudential.com.

[Editors: full-color pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions are available at http://spirit.prudential.com.]

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