West Virginia's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 13th Annual National Awards Program.

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

Honors also bestowed on other top youth volunteers in West Virginia 

U.S. Senators John Kerry and Chuck Hagel to co-chair judging panel that will pick 10 National Honorees in May

CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- Eric Yurko, 15, of Bridgeport and Kelsie Marple, 13, of Salem today were named West Virginia's top two youth volunteers for 2008 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 13th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Eric was nominated by the Harrison County YMCA in Clarksburg, and Kelsie was nominated by Doddridge County Middle School in West Union. 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 2008 at that time.

Eric, a junior at Bridgeport High School, built a new playground at the Harrison County YMCA to replace an unsafe and deteriorating play area. "Not only was the playground in horrible condition," said Eric, "it also was not handicapped accessible, which I learned was now a requirement for the YMCA's day care programs." Eric first had to convince YMCA officials that he could complete such an ambitious project. Then, he mailed nearly 600 letters to individuals and businesses soliciting donations, made presentations to local organizations and government officials, and applied for grants.

Once he had raised $30,000, plus another $15,000 worth of materials and services, he ordered new playground equipment and recruited volunteers to help him remove the old play structures and the ground surface around them. Next, they dug holes, poured concrete, assembled the new equipment, and installed a rubberized surface and new landscaping. The new playground, encompassing two age-appropriate play areas, is not only safer and handicapped accessible, but also is able to accommodate many more children at one time. At the dedication, "I saw how incredibly excited the kids were about the playground, and that made all the hard work, the stress and the tension worthwhile," said Eric.

Kelsie, an eighth-grader at Doddridge County Middle School, gave up much of her summer vacation last year to serve as a youth volunteer at a six-week educational program for 40 children from rural and low-income communities across West Virginia. "I love to read, and I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to encourage younger children to read," Kelsie said.

As a youth volunteer, Kelsie read one-on-one to the children, helping them sound out and pronounce words. She also used her artistic talents to show children how to draw different objects, and helped out with other art and writing activities. At breakfast and lunchtime, she set tables, served food, and cleaned up. "My main goal was to have a good time and to make sure the learning process was just as much fun for the kids," Kelsie said. While working in the program, Kelsie also assisted with a walkathon to collect canned goods for a local food pantry and articles of clothing for a local church.

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

Chelsie Bush, 18, of Southside, a senior at Point Pleasant High School in Point Pleasant, spent an entire summer volunteering at a year-round inner-city elementary school in Charleston, W. Va. Chelsie assisted teachers with a variety of tasks before school and during the day; tutored struggling kindergarten, fourth- and fifth-grade students in math and reading comprehension; and answered phones and took messages in the office.

Brittany Stump, 17, of Parkersburg, a senior at Parkersburg South High School, volunteered as a one-on-one aide for a visually impaired woman attending a summer camp for the disabled. Brittany, who also serves on the teen board of a community group serving adults and children with disabilities, became her camper's "eyes" for the week. She helped her get dressed and walk safely around the camp, and assisted her as she participated in crafts, games and dances.

"Over the past 13 years, we've seen an incredible number of young Americans who have selflessly devoted their time and energy to helping others in their communities," said Arthur F. Ryan, chairman of Prudential Financial. "The volunteer work of this year's honorees is as inspiring as any we've seen, and we are honored to recognize the amazing contributions they've made to their neighborhoods, cities and nation."

"Congratulations to this year's state winners in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards," stated Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "The hard work and determination that these students have exhibited in trying to make a difference in the lives of others is remarkable."

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 4,500 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 5 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.

Co-chairing the national selection committee will be U.S. Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, and Arthur Ryan of Prudential. Also serving on the committee will be actor Richard Dreyfuss; Alma Powell, chair of America's Promise - The Alliance for Youth; Michelle Nunn, president and CEO of the Points of Light & Hands On Network; 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; Kathryn Forbes, national chair of volunteers, American Red Cross; Neil Nicoll, CEO of YMCA of the USA; Michael Cohen, president and CEO of Achieve, Inc.; Barry Stark, president of NASSP; and two 2007 Prudential Spirit of Community National Honorees: Kelly Davis of West Bath, Maine, and Kelydra Welcker of Parkersburg, W.Va.

In addition to granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program will be distributing President's Volunteer Service Awards to nearly 2,800 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 & Hands On Network; 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, Taiwan and 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.

NASSP is the preeminent organization and the national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals and aspiring school leaders. NASSP 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], the National Junior Honor Society[TM] and the National Association of Student Councils[TM].

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Leveraging its heritage of life insurance and asset management expertise, Prudential is focused on helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth. The company's well-known Rock symbol is an icon of strength, stability, expertise and innovation that has stood the test of time. Prudential's businesses offer a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds, investment management and real estate services. For more information, visit www.prudential.com.

Editors: Graphics depicting the award program's logo and medallions may be downloaded from www.prudential.com/spirit.