America's top 10 youth volunteers of 2021 named at 26th annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

NEWARK, N.J., May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- For initiatives that range from addressing COVID-19 to advocating for inclusion, 10 students were named America's top youth volunteers of 2021 on Sunday evening by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a national program sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

These National Honorees, named during the program's 26^th annual, and second fully virtual, national recognition weekend, range in age from 10 to 18. They were selected first from a field of more than 21,000 middle level and high school youth volunteers nationwide, and then from 102 State Honorees, based on their initiative, effort, impact, and the personal growth demonstrated in the course of their volunteer service. The National Honorees each received $5,000 scholarships, engraved gold medallions, crystal trophies for their nominating organizations, and $5,000 Prudential grants for charities of their choice—in addition to the $2,500 scholarships and silver medallions they earned as State Honorees.

"After 26 years of honoring young volunteers, we know that students across America do great things in service to their communities, and we're especially inspired by this year's honorees for doing so in the face of unprecedented challenges," said Charles Lowrey, Prudential's chairman and CEO. "Prudential is proud to shine a spotlight on these remarkable young people and their stories of service."

"These young volunteers are great examples of the resilience and commitment to social progress that so many students demonstrated over the past year," said Ronn Nozoe, chief executive officer, NASSP. "NASSP congratulates these students on a well-deserved honor, and thanks them for providing us all with role models for turning adversity into action."

These are the 10 National Honorees:

• Katie Chai, 18, of Charlotte, North Carolina, who helped start a grassroots effort to address the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in her city by using 3D printers and laser cutters to make more than 100,000 face shields, which were ultimately distributed to health care workers across North Carolina and in 12 other states.

• Michael Chen, 13, of Raleigh, North Carolina, who has made more than 580 mask "buckles" with his 3D printer to lessen the discomfort that wearing face masks for extended periods can cause behind the ears.

• Ruby Kate Chitsey, 13, of Harrison, Arkansas, who has raised more than $300,000 to grant wishes for over 8,000 nursing home residents across the country who cannot afford day-to-day expenses such as pet food, haircuts or clothes that fit properly.

• Cash Daniels, 11, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has organized cleanup outings that have removed more than 11,000 pounds of trash from the Tennessee River, recycled over 1,000 pounds of aluminum cans to raise money for river conservation, and installed fishing-line recycling receptacles along the river.

• Orion Jean, 10, of Fort Worth, Texas, who has collected more than 600 toys for kids at a children's hospital, and provided more than 40,000 meals for people in need, after winning a national speech contest in which he encouraged people to "Race to Kindness."

• Thomas Kim, 17, of McLean, Virginia, who has piloted more than 20 flights to deliver over 70,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) items and ventilator supplies to rural hospitals in four states since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

• Suraj Kulkarni, 18, of Corvallis, Oregon, who created a website where young people of diverse backgrounds can share their experiences, perspectives and culture with one another, along with online conferences that have involved young people from more than 13 countries.

• Gitanjali Rao, 15, of Lone Tree, Colorado, who has reached more than 30,000 students around the world, encouraging younger generations to think creatively about confronting the world's big challenges by leading online workshops where she shares the unique problem-solving methodology she created.

• Samantha Vance, 12, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who launched an initiative to provide "buddy benches" for shy, lonely or bullied kids at more than 150 schools across the country.

• Ellie Zimmerman, 18, of Purchase, New York, who is the founder and CEO of an organization that has recruited thousands of high school students across the country to provide technology assistance to more than 180 nonprofit organizations, as well as to teachers, parents and students struggling with remote learning.

National Honorees were announced Sunday, culminating a three-day weekend of events celebrating Spirit of Community's 102 State Honorees—the top middle level and high school volunteer of 2021 from each state and the District of Columbia. In addition to remarks from guest speaker Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the State Honorees connected with each other through small-group project-sharing sessions and learned about service and advocacy from accomplished Spirit of Community alumni. They were also congratulated by special guests including Lowrey from Prudential and Nozoe from NASSP.

To read the names and stories of this year's State Honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.

About Prudential Financial
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit http://news.prudential.com.

About NASSP
The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for principals and other school leaders across the United States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student's potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Student Council. Learn more at http://nassp.org.

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