Oregon's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 17th Annual National Awards Program

SALEM, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alexander Stork, 18, of Klamath Falls and Chloe Staten, 14, of Medford today were named Oregon's top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Alexander was nominated by Klamath Union High School in Klamath Falls, and Chloe was nominated by Talent Middle School in Talent. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 17th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

“I feel that it helps to take away some of their fear.”

Alexander, a senior at Klamath Union High School, co-founded a youth advisory board that supports and promotes the local activities of a statewide child literacy program called SMART (“Start Making a Reader Today”). Alexander and 44 other teen board members read one-on-one to young children who need help with literacy skills, and serve as positive role models for these youngsters. Group members also function as program advocates in the community, and actively assist with fundraising activities, performing tasks such as decorating and cleaning up event venues, setting up silent auctions, stuffing mailings and soliciting sponsors.

Recently, Alexander’s board created and hosted two very successful community-wide events in partnership with a local book store to raise awareness of SMART, recruit volunteer readers and show kids how exciting reading can be. The group dressed up as superheroes and other characters from beloved storybooks, and invited children to come and mingle with them. Approximately 1,500 kids and their families turned out for the events. “In freezing temps there was a line three blocks long waiting for access into the bookstore to meet the swell SMART superheroes!,” said Alexander. At a time of “stinging” school budget cuts, the youth advisory board has played a key role in educating the community about the critical need for the SMART program, he said.

Chloe, an eighth-grader at Talent Middle School, raises money and recruits volunteers to help children with cancer and their families. As a former cancer patient herself, Chloe knows firsthand what it’s like to be dealt this devastating blow. “When I was diagnosed with cancer, as an almost 10-year-old, my instant thought was, ‘I don’t want to die!’” said Chloe. “Through having cancer, I have been able to reach out to other children with cancer.”

A year after her diagnosis, Chloe started working to help make life better for other young cancer patients. She has spoken at a torch relay to motivate 1,500 children to raise money for a children’s hospital in Portland, and has participated in the Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon by giving interviews as a cancer survivor and answering pledge calls. Chloe also sews scarves to raise money for families whose children are undergoing cancer treatment, brings goodies to hospitalized children, and helps organize holiday parties and other special events for them. Last year she spearheaded an effort at her school to make hats for a boy with cancer and raised $1,000 toward his expenses. “I love knowing that I am helping other kids who went through similar things that I did,” said Chloe. “I feel that it helps to take away some of their fear.”

As State Honorees, Alexander and Chloe 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 several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2012 at that time.

Distinguished Finalists

In addition, the program judges recognized four other Oregon students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion:

Noelani Gonzales, 16, of Cornelius, Ore., a junior at Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, raised $2,000 selling “Hope for Japan” T-shirts to support the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last March. Noelani donated the funds to Medical Teams International, an organization that was helping to rebuild Japan and assist the injured from the disaster.

Meghana Kalavar, 17, of Portland, Ore., a member of the Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington and a senior at Jesuit High School, raised more than $3,500 in “Dance For a Cause” to support the building of a new school in rural India. In addition to planning the performance, Meghana conducted drives for school supplies and delivered the donations in person last summer.

Savannah Loberger, 15, of Hillsboro, Ore., a junior at Hillsboro High School, raised $5,000 to support “Girls Get IT (Innovative Technology),” an all-girl STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) day camp that she created. Savannah, who started the day camp after being the only girl in her Robotics Club, created the curriculum, taught classes, recruited volunteers and managed the publicity that reached the 37 girls who attended the camp.

Zachary Odegard, 15, of Dallas, Ore., a member of the Polk County 4-H and a freshman at Dallas High School, helps to raise money to support cancer research as the youth chair for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event. Zachary’s main responsibility as youth chair is to encourage young people to walk in the event, and he has spent the past four years visiting local schools and other organizations to recruit walkers.

“Through their selfless acts of service, these award recipients have greatly improved the lives of others,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. “We hope their stories and their dedication inspire other young people to do the same.”

"We are so pleased to celebrate these student volunteers,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “It’s important to highlight them as powerful examples of how young people can 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 HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award. More than 5,000 Local Honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, 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, attend a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. In addition, 10 of them – five middle level and five high school students – will be named National Honorees on May 7. These 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 100,000 young volunteers nationwide have been honored by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards at the local, state or national level. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland and India. 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 on behalf of President Barack Obama.

For information on all of this year’s Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visit spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.

About NASSP

NASSP is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. The association provides research-based professional development and resources, networking and advocacy to build the capacity of middle level and high school leaders to continually improve student performance. Reflecting its longstanding commitment to student leadership development as well, 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, investment management, and real estate services. 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 http://www.news.prudential.com/.

Editors: Graphics depicting the award program’s logo and medallions may be downloaded from spirit.prudential.com.