North Carolina's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected In 12th Annual National Awards Program.

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

Honors also bestowed on other top youth volunteers in North Carolina 

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Caroline Johnson, 17, of Wilmington and Mason Gonzales Park, 11, of Raleigh today were named North Carolina'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).

Caroline was nominated by John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, and Mason was nominated by West Millbrook Middle School in Raleigh. 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.

Caroline, a junior at John T. Hoggard High School, started a club at her school to raise money and public support for victims of genocide, natural disasters and other crises around the world. Before moving to North Carolina last August, Caroline learned about the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, and became active in her Kansas school's Save Darfur Club. "I became very upset and moved by the entire situation," she said. Caroline intended to launch a Darfur club at her new school in Wilmington, but after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast, decided to expand her focus and work on behalf of people everywhere who need funds and attention.

She secured approval for her new "G.A.P.P. Club" (for Global Awareness and Peace Promotion) from the student council, and recruited a teacher advisor and student members. The club now meets every week and schedules one or two activities a month. It has conducted a frappacino sale for UNICEF's AIDS fund, a bake sale for earthquake victims in Pakistan, awareness campaigns for genocide victims in Sudan and Uganda, and events to raise money by selling candy, bracelets and buttons. "I hope and believe that we have shown our fellow students that it is very cool and very important for young people to be involved in things that some might say are too big or too faraway for us to be able to help," said Caroline.

Mason, a sixth-grader at West Millbrook Middle School, has helped raise nearly $48,000 for the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society over the past five years. "Diseases are out there so we have to help those who have them and keep raising money so scientists can find a cure to stop them," he said. In his first volunteer effort, Mason participated in a local school walk when he was just 6. "It was a great feeling to know that even at such a young age I could be involved and have such an impact on others," he remembered.

Now he engages in several fund-raising campaigns a year, participating as a team member in nationally sponsored events, and also pursuing his own fund-raising activities, such as washing cars, selling lemonade, recycling cans, setting up collection jars, canvassing for donations, and holding yard sales. In the process, Mason has given speeches to audiences of up to 3,000 people, appeared in TV and radio public service announcements, led flag ceremonies and sang the national anthem, and sent hundreds of letters and e-mail notes to potential sponsors. One year, he even asked Santa Claus and birthday party guests to make donations instead of bringing him gifts. "It's the greatest feeling in the world knowing that I am part of someone else's success," said Mason. "If everyone would take the time to help change someone's life, the world would be a much better place filled with happiness and hope."

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

Elizabeth Buckholz, 10, of Harrisburg, a member of the Girl Scouts Hornets' Nest Council in Charlotte and a fifth-grader at Pitts School Road Elementary School in Concord, organized a Community Safety Day to help teach kids in her county how to be safe. At the event, more than 150 youngsters watched fire, police and sheriff's personnel demonstrate how to escape a burning building, what it's like to drive while impaired, how police dogs catch criminals and find drugs, and other safety topics.

Mark Draelos, 17, of High Point, a junior at The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro, developed a Web site for the Ward Street Mission to connect interested volunteers with the needs of the mission. Mark, who learned interactive Web site design to complete this project, hopes to soon include an online means of making donations and an electronic community newspaper.

Ann Guggisberg, 18, of Warne, a senior at Hayesville High School in Hayesville, organized and taught beginner art classes for elementary and middle school students in the summers of 2005 and 2006. In addition, she produced and sold note cards featuring the students' work, and then donated the $1,000 in proceeds to local libraries.

Svyatoslav Petrov, 16, of Raleigh, a sophomore at Ravenscroft School, developed and implemented a hand-hygiene training program for medical workers at a local community hospital to prevent the spread of acquired infections. Compliance with proper hand-hygiene procedures increased from 32 to 75 percent during the five-month program, and Svyatoslav is now working to introduce it to schools.

Haowei Tong, 17, of Winston-Salem, a senior at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, established a free tennis clinic for underprivileged children in her area. After soliciting tennis equipment from local businesses and promoting her clinic, Haowei recruited friends to help her teach basic tennis skills to more than two dozen kids, while emphasizing the importance of balanced nutrition, regular exercise and team-building.

Kelly Wolfe, 17, of Greensboro, a volunteer with the Greensboro Chapter of the American Red Cross and a junior at Walter Hines Page High School, helped raise more than $10,000 to support victims of Hurricane Katrina by organizing a "24-Hour Swim for Relief." Kelly, who started a volunteer group within her swim team, worked closely with fellow volunteers to plan the event and other fund-raisers to support those in need.

"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.

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