Alaska's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 12th Annual National Awards Program.

Palmer students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions and trip to nation's capital

Honors also bestowed on other top youth volunteers in Alaska

JUNEAU, Alaska -- Marcus Farquhar, 14, and Angelina Klapperich, 13, both of Palmer, today were named Alaska's top two youth volunteers for 2007 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 12th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Marcus was nominated by the Correspondence Study School in Wasilla, and Angelina was nominated by Palmer Junior Middle School in Palmer. As State Honorees, 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 - one middle level and one high school youth - 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 2007 at that time.

Marcus, a sophomore with the Correspondence Study School in Wasilla, designed and conducted an innovative robotics workshop using Lego building blocks to teach behaviorally challenged students teamwork in a fun and exciting way. After launching a Lego club for middle level students at his school, Marcus obtained permission from school officials to develop a clinic for the kids on how to make a robot from Lego blocks. Soon afterwards, the club's faculty advisor, who also taught math to middle and high school students with behavioral problems at the North Star Behavioral Center, suggested to Marcus that his Lego robotics program would be particularly beneficial to these students.

Marcus then created a teaching plan to address their unique needs, and began conducting workshops at the behavioral center every week for 11 high school and eight middle level students. "The intent of the program is to help bring youth together in small interactive teams and learn to work cooperatively to fulfill a specific challenge," said Marcus. It "will help teach these youth about decision-making, team-building and higher-level thinking skills." The program has been accepted enthusiastically by students, staff and parents. "To be able to share something that I get excited about is a dynamic and exciting adventure to be on," he said.

Angelina, a seventh-grader at Palmer Junior Middle School, has devoted a significant amount of time and energy over the past two years to assisting and entertaining residents of a senior citizen center in her town. When she was just 3 years old, Angelina began participating in an annual fund-raising walk for Meals on Wheels, and later enjoyed singing, dancing and playing the piano for local seniors. "As I got older, I knew I wanted to see the smiling faces of the seniors more often," she said, so she contacted the Palmer Senior Center to offer her services. "I felt it was important to share my time and talents with the seniors because all too often they don't have much interaction with anyone, especially the youth of their community," said Angelina.

In addition to singing and playing piano at the center, Angelina helps the residents exercise, spends time talking to them, plays games and serves meals. Angelina knows seniors are not the only ones benefiting from her volunteer work. "I have been inspired by listening to their accomplishments over the years - each person has a unique story to tell," said Angelina.

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

Alicia Adams, 17, of Palmer, a member of the Mat-Su/Copper River 4-H in Palmer and a senior at Wasilla High School in Wasilla, developed an awareness campaign to warn young people about the dangers of methamphetamines, after learning that her community is known as the "meth capital of Alaska." After receiving a grant from the National Crime Prevention Council, Alicia created an interactive display for the Alaska State Fair, and delivered a presentation to 100 youth and adults at a 4-H camp.

Michaela Hernandez, 18, of Anchorage, a senior at East Anchorage High School, served as the Youth Chair for Youth Vote 2006, a campaign to educate students about the importance of voting. Michaela helped conduct a mock election for students in grades 5-12, organized and moderated a gubernatorial debate, and helped coordinate a political forum, all to encourage young people to register and vote.

"People as caring and committed as these young students are critical to the future of our neighborhoods, our cities and our nation," said Arthur Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential. "By recognizing these honorees, we hope to encourage other young people - our future leaders - and all Americans to think more about the value and importance of volunteering in their communities."

"NASSP is pleased to once again join Prudential in recognizing these young people for their amazing accomplishments," remarked Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "This year's honorees are proof that the youth of today are conscientious and capable of performing selfless acts of kindness in their local communities, on a national scale and at the global level."

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 Volunteer Centers, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award this past November. More than 7,500 Local Honorees were then reviewed by state-level judges, who selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria such as personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.

While in Washington, D.C., the 102 State Honorees 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 by a prestigious national selection committee. 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.

Serving on the national selection committee will be U.S. Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota; Arthur Ryan of Prudential; actor Richard Dreyfuss; Alma Powell, chair of America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth; Robert Goodwin, president and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation; Amy B. Cohen, director of Learn and Serve America at the Corporation for National and Community Service; Kathy Cloninger, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA; Donald T. Floyd Jr., president and CEO of National 4-H Council; Michael Cohen, president and CEO of Achieve, Inc.; Kathryn Forbes, national chair of volunteers, American Red Cross; Joe Militello, president of NASSP; and two 2006 Prudential Spirit of Community National Honorees: Ajay Mangal of Pascagoula, Miss., and Geneva Johnson of the Bronx, N.Y.

In addition to granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program will be distributing President's Volunteer Service Awards to more than 4,150 of its Local Honorees this year on behalf of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The President's Volunteer Service Award recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represent the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. The program is part of a broad youth-service initiative by Prudential that includes a youth leadership training program administered by the Points of Light Foundation; a free booklet of volunteer ideas for young people offered through the Federal Citizen Information Center; and a Web site featuring profiles of outstanding youth volunteers, volunteer tips and project ideas for students, an electronic newspaper on youth volunteerism, and more (www.prudential.com/spirit). The Spirit of Community Awards program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and is being introduced this year in Ireland.

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

The National Association of Secondary School Principals -- the preeminent organization and the national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders -- provides its members with the professional resources to serve as visionary leaders. NASSP promotes the intellectual growth, academic achievement, character development, leadership development, and physical well-being of youth through its programs and student leadership services. NASSP sponsors the National Honor Society[TM], the National Junior Honor Society[TM] and the National Association of Student Councils[TM]. For more information on NASSP, NHS, NJHS or NASC, visit www.principals.org.

Prudential Financial companies serve individual and institutional customers worldwide and include The Prudential Insurance Company of America, one of the largest life insurance companies in the U.S. These companies offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, mutual funds, annuities, pension and retirement-related services and administration, asset management, securities brokerage, banking and trust services, real estate brokerage franchises and relocation services. For more information, visit www.prudential.com.