Florida's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 11th Annual National Awards Program; Miami and Odessa Students Earn $1,000 Awards, Engraved Medallions and Trip to Nation's Capital; Honors Also Bestowed on Other Top Youth Volunteers in Florida.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Rebecca Farber, 18, of Miami and Savannah Walters, 13, of Odessa today were named Florida's top two youth volunteers for 2006 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 11th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Rebecca was nominated by Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest, and Savannah was nominated by Independent Day School in Tampa. 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 2006 at that time.

Rebecca, a senior at Miami Palmetto Senior High School, initiated a statewide PTA-sponsored relief and education effort after four devastating hurricanes ripped through Florida in 2004. When Rebecca, who lost her home to Hurricane Andrew when she was four years old, watched the reports of the 2004 storms, "I remembered the pain, fright, confusion and anger I felt as a Hurricane Andrew survivor," she said. But this time, as the only student on the Florida PTA State Board of Directors, Rebecca was in a position to take action.

She first wrote an article for the state PTA's monthly bulletin, offering information and guidelines on hurricane preparedness. She then produced "Hurricanes Happen," a colorful children's brochure that explains how kids can prepare a hurricane kit and cope with a disaster, which was distributed throughout the state. Even more importantly, Rebecca mobilized PTAs throughout the state to provide donations and support to schools, community agencies and individuals affected by the hurricanes. "PTA donors and private businesses stepped up to the plate and worked feverishly to improve the lives of strangers," said Rebecca. "These true acts of selfless goodness and generosity will always inspire me."

Savannah, a seventh-grader at Independent Day School, created "Pump 'Em Up," an awareness campaign designed to reduce the need for new oil drilling by urging drivers to keep their tires pumped up and thereby save gas. "People don't know that Americans waste four million gallons of gas a day by not properly inflating their tires," said Savannah. She didn't know either, until she spoke with photographer Lenny Kohm, who has spent years trying to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Kohm encouraged Savannah to get the word out about tire inflation, so she and her Brownie Troop distributed flyers to commuters, along with free tire gauges donated by Sears and Goodyear.

Since then, Savannah has held many more awareness events in her area, distributing thousands of informational flyers, balloons and tire gauges. In addition, she has recruited friends and other volunteers to put on similar events in five other states, and created a Web site (www.pumpemup.org) for people anywhere who want to join her campaign. Savannah also has taken her message to Washington, D.C., where she has lobbied Congressmen and spoken at rallies. "Even if people don't care about the Arctic Refuge, wasting gas pollutes our air and adds to global warming," she said. "This affects all of us and so it is very important to get the word out that there is a simple little thing that would make a HUGE difference - pump 'em up!"

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

Chelsea Heath, 17, of Lakeland, a senior at Lakeland Senior High School, started a program in which high school volunteers mentor, tutor and befriend young children living in a local orphanage. Working through her school's Key Club, Chelsea and her fellow mentors visit the children monthly, assist them with schoolwork and spend quality time with them. They also collect and donate books, Christmas gifts and other things to brighten the children's days.

Alannah Nic Phaidin, 17, of Palm Bay, a senior at Cocoa Beach Junior/Senior High School in Cocoa Beach, organized a series of "Youth Leadership Summits" offering middle and high school students a free opportunity to learn about becoming leaders in their communities. Alannah, who had earlier attended a similar program on a scholarship, wanted all interested teenagers to be able to benefit from such training even if they could not afford to pay for it.

Rory Nicolaides, 17, of Orlando, a senior at University High School, coordinated a "care package" drive to collect basic hygiene items and other home comforts for American servicemen and women overseas. Rory, whose sister served in the Army, found a local sponsor, set up collection sites, publicized her campaign, and then sorted and packaged the thousands of donated items. She and some fellow volunteers also sold patriotic pins to raise $3,500 to ship the packages.

Danielle Padgett, 18, of Sarasota, a member of the Sarasota County 4-H and a senior at Riverview High School, created and coordinated a literacy project that paired 4-H members with homeless children for three nights of fun, friendship, caring and giving. Each child received a book, bookmark, fruit, candy and a stuffed animal at the event.

Robert Parrish, 16, of Tampa, a junior at Chamberlain High School, organized the construction of an oyster reef at Whiskey Stump Key in Tampa Bay that will provide a habitat for oysters and promote the growth of food sources for fish and birds. Robert worked closely with local environmental groups to secure permits for the reef, obtained grants to help fund the project, purchased the necessary materials, and recruited and supervised 150 volunteers to complete the construction.

Zachary Sandoval, 17, of Miami Shores, a senior at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in Miami, was in eighth grade when he created an after-school science-education program for inner-city children. His program now operates in six schools and four libraries, involves approximately 45 student volunteers, and features a newsletter, audio-tapes, a Web site, and book and supply donations, as well as science classes.

Samuel Silverman, 18, of Jupiter, a senior at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, runs a program that records children's books onto audio-tapes for young students learning English as a second language in underserved schools. Samuel, who started the program with his sister when he was just 12, secured a $5,000 grant and established partnerships with local Key Clubs, Florida Atlantic University and Wachovia Bank, which enable him to produce hundreds of recorded books each year.

Jasmine Steele, 16, of Seminole, a senior at Indian Rocks Christian School in Largo, helped create and hosted a health-conscious cable television program called "Kids Can Cook Too!" Jasmine, who is an inspirational speaker for her local hospital's weight loss program, also helped research and write scripts for the show, which was designed to help kids make healthy food choices to reduce childhood obesity and diabetes.

"The recipients of these awards vividly demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities," said Art Ryan, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. "They truly deserve all of the praise and encouragement we can give them."

"The young people recognized by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards demonstrate an enormous capacity for giving and reaching out to those in need," said Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "NASSP is proud to honor them as they are wonderful examples of the high caliber of young people in our nation's schools today."

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. Nearly 8,000 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 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 8 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.

U.S. Senators Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia will serve as co-chairs of the national selection committee. Also serving on the committee will be 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; Ken Gladish, National Executive Director of YMCA of the USA; David Vodila, President of NASSP; and two 2005 Prudential Spirit of Community National Honorees: Devin Cohen of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., and Lindsey Williams of St. Joseph, Mo.

In addition to granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program will be distributing President's Volunteer Service Awards to nearly 4,200 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 program is supported by National 4-H Council, Girl Scouts of the USA, American Red Cross, YMCA of the USA, Points of Light Foundation, American Association of School Administrators, National Middle School Association, National School Boards Association, Council of the Great City Schools, National School Public Relations Association, and many other national youth and service organizations.

The awards are part of a broad initiative created by Prudential to encourage young people to become involved in community service. Other elements of the initiative include a community leadership training program for high school students, now administered by the Points of Light Foundation; and a variety of educational materials for young people and teachers relating to youth volunteerism.

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.

NASSP - the preeminent organization and the national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders - provides its members 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 administers the National Honor Society(TM), National Junior Honor Society(TM), and National Association of Student Councils(TM).

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 United States. 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.