The District of Columbia's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 12th Annual National Awards Program.

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

Honors also bestowed on other top youth volunteers in District of Columbia 

WASHINGTON -- Paul Ervin, 17, and Kevwe Ajueyitsi, 13, today were named the District of Columbia'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).

Paul was nominated by Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Md., and Kevwe was nominated by Jefferson Junior High School in Washington. As State Honorees, each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an invitation to the program's national recognition events in early May in Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees - one middle level and one high school youth - from each of the 50 states. Ten of them will be named America's top youth volunteers for 2007 at that time.

Paul, a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, works with an international organization to educate and mentor young people in Ecuador who are living with type 1 diabetes. Paul, an Inca Indian, decided three years ago that he wanted to do something to help his people, who have a high rate of diabetes. He discovered an organization called AYUDA (American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad) that was active in Ecuador. It was, he said, "a perfect match because it involves youth, and Ecuador is old Inca territory."

After researching diabetes and improving his Spanish, Paul began traveling to Ecuador every summer for AYUDA, participating in educational workshops and working to develop youth leaders. Much of his time there is spent helping to run a summer camp for poor kids with diabetes. At the camp, he organizes activities, supervises meals, leads diabetes education classes, and helps check campers' insulin and blood sugar levels seven times a day. He also collects and analyzes medical data on the children in the hope of improving their care and management (he was asked to present his findings at the International Diabetes Federation Congress in South Africa in December). Paul also has personally raised $6,500 to buy insulin for the children. "Working with children with diabetes has been the most rewarding experience I could possibly have had," Paul said.

Kevwe, an eighth-grader at Jefferson Junior High School, helps prepare and distribute meals to homeless people in her community. "My father inspired me to start, and also the thought of doing a good deed did, too," she said. Every Saturday and Sunday, Kevwe works with a volunteer team from the homeless ministry of her church as they prepare, cook, package and distribute food. "I do a little of everything," Kevwe said. "My goal was to be very helpful and I reached that goal by trying to be the most dedicated worker there." Kevwe also collects donations of books, clothes and toys for disadvantaged children in Nigeria; volunteers for the Fannie Mae Foundation, and works as a peer mediator. "I am still looking for more to do," she said. "I learned that when I do something good, I do not always have to get a reward back for doing it."

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

Tawanda Davis, 18, a senior at the Friendship Collegiate Academy, helped raise student awareness of citizens' rights and improve communication between police and youth in her community. Tawanda interviewed police and incarcerated youth, conducted workshops to educate young people about their rights, and helped create and distribute a teen magazine about stereotypes and avoiding altercations with police.

Antar Tichavakunda, 16, a senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic Senior High School, helped clean and renovate an elementary school library in his community. After obtaining permission from the principal of Shepherd Elementary School, Antar recruited volunteers, solicited donations of materials and funds for supplies, and then cleaned, primed, painted and redecorated the library room.

"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.