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

Valley City and West Fargo students earn $1,000 awards, engraved medallions and trip to nation's capital

Honors also bestowed on other top youth volunteers in North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Jacob Holm, 17, of Valley City and Brittney Humphrey, 12, of West Fargo today were named North Dakota'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).

Jacob was nominated by Maple Valley High School in Tower City, and Brittney was nominated by Cheney Middle School in West Fargo. 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.

Jacob, a senior at Maple Valley High School, developed an educational program at two elementary schools over the past three years to teach young students the importance of eating right, staying fit, and making healthy lifestyle choices. He also spearheaded an effort to sell healthy snacks at his high school, and helped recruit new members for the school's SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) chapter. Jacob's program was inspired by persistent news media reports about young people's eating and exercise habits, and underage drinking. "The media reminds us daily of the escalating number of negative choices" that kids make, said Jacob. "I knew that I could show students that the trend does not need to continue."

Upon receiving approval from school officials, Jacob began making monthly presentations to each kindergarten through sixth-grade class at two local elementary schools. His curriculum included lessons on how to prepare healthy after-school snacks, have fun exercising, release stress in a positive way, and read nutrition labels. His students also learned the dangers of drinking and drugs, and the importance of wearing seatbelts. After a short while, Jacob began working in his high school, too, to encourage healthy lifestyles. "My goal is to have my program adopted by other schools, so that it may continue for years to come," said Jacob.

Brittney, a sixth-grader at Cheney Middle School, has dedicated herself to several different community service projects over the past two years. Following a school trip to a local senior citizen home, Brittney decided to volunteer there on a regular basis. For two years she visited the residents, playing games with them, talking to them, and making them aware that someone cared about them. When Brittney's church began a fund-raising campaign to construct a new building, she started babysitting and walking pets for 75 cents a day, and then donated the proceeds to the church-building fund. Finally, Brittney and a group of her friends volunteered to pick up trash scattered around a local park and in other areas of her community. "It is important to pick up after yourself so we don't pollute the earth," said Brittney.

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

Aura Lunde, 18, of Cooperstown, a senior at Griggs County Central High School in Cooperstown, volunteered with the 21st Century Learning Center after-school program four days a week, tutoring children, supervising recesses, and assisting teachers with lessons. In addition, she coached a creative problem-solving team of elementary school students, started a "Learning Through Literature" club for fifth-graders, and gave presentations to youth about Internet safety.

Devany Schulz, 17, of Davenport, a junior at Shanley High School in Fargo, coordinated a drug- and alcohol-free "teen night" to educate fellow students about the effects of substance abuse. As chairperson of the newly created Cass County Youth Commission, Devany proposed and promoted the event, which was attended by 300 students from every high school in the county.

"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.