Maryland's Top Youth Volunteers of 2021 Selected by National Program
Derek Yan, 16, and Lily McCallister, 13, have been recognized as Maryland's top youth volunteers for 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Both honorees receive a $2,500 scholarship, a silver medallion, and an invitation to a national celebration in April. Derek founded the Linx Buddies Association to provide affordable tennis training, while Lily worked on an oyster restoration project for Chesapeake Bay. The awards celebrate students in grades 5-12 for their meaningful community service efforts, with selection based on impact and initiative.
- Recognition of youth volunteering strengthens Prudential's brand as a community-focused organization.
- The awards highlight Prudential's commitment to social responsibility and youth engagement.
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NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Derek Yan, 16, of Potomac and Lily McCallister, 13, of Severna Park today were named Maryland's top youth volunteers of 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America's largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service.
As State Honorees, Derek and Lily will each receive a
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades 5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service.
"We created the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 26 years ago to highlight and support the work of young people taking on the challenges of a changing world – a mission that rings truer than ever given the events of last year," said Charles Lowrey, Prudential's chairman and CEO. "We are proud to celebrate the vision and determination of Spirit of Community's Class of 2021, and all the ways they're making their communities safer, healthier and more equitable places to live."
These are Maryland's top youth volunteers of 2021:
High School State Honoree: Derek Yan
Nominated by Winston Churchill High School
Derek, a junior at Winston Churchill High School, started an organization designed to provide young tennis players with affordable training opportunities and an online network for finding practice partners. "Coming from a family with limited financial resources, I had been struggling between my passion for tennis and its hefty training expenses," explained Derek. He decided to try to find a local tennis buddy to practice with for free. "I posted an ad online and guess what …43 players showed up!" he said. Realizing there was a real need to make the sport affordable for kids from all walks of life, Derek founded "Linx Buddies Association."
Starting with those 43 players, Derek organized a summer training camp on the public tennis courts of a local middle school. As more players expressed interest, Derek recruited eight professional coaches and 15 adult volunteers, and secured the use of additional courts. Since then, Derek's nonprofit organization has grown into a community of more than 580 young players who participate in year-round training programs at two indoor facilities and eight outdoor locations. In addition, his website enables players all over the country to locate tennis buddies with similar skill levels. Derek also formed a club to enable advanced players to train with some of the top-ranked junior competitors in the Mid-Atlantic region. And in 2018, he partnered with the Alzheimer's Association to launch an annual charity marathon that has raised more than
Middle Level State Honoree: Lily McCallister
Nominated by Severna Park Middle School
Lily, an eighth-grader at Severna Park Middle School, undertook a project to increase the oyster population in Chesapeake Bay to improve the quality of its increasingly polluted water, and developed an award-winning science fair experiment that demonstrated the precise way in which oysters can accomplish that objective. As the daughter of a science teacher and a member of her school's environmental club, Lily was well aware that Chesapeake Bay is plagued with microplastics, waste and fertilizer runoff, and other pollutants. She also knew that one mature oyster can filter 50 gallons of water a day. "The bay is an important part of our ecosystem," she said, "and oysters are natural filters in our bay."
So Lily decided to embark on an oyster restoration project. Working with the Magothy River Association, she picked a marina at the mouth of the Magothy River to grow baby oysters. Then she obtained oyster larvae from Oyster Recovery Partners, placed them in cages, and tied them to piers. For the next several months, she had to pull 25 cages out of the water each week and shake off accumulated mud, often with the help of her Girl Scout troop. At the end of the growing season, she released her oysters on a protected reef in the bay. In addition, Lily conducted a science fair project that showed how oysters improve the turbidity, acidity, temperature and dissolved oxygen levels of the bay. "My hope is to make the bay healthier for humans, plants and animals," she said.
State Honorees in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Class of 2021 – the top middle level and high school volunteer from all 50 states and the District of Columbia – were selected for service initiatives completed, at least in part, between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. Selection was based on criteria including impact, effort, initiative and the personal growth demonstrated over the course of the project. Several Distinguished Finalists and runners-up were also selected in each state, and all qualifying applicants received President's Volunteer Service Awards.
"It speaks volumes about the character of today's secondary school students that the Spirit of Community program heard from more than 21,000 applicants this fall – most of them stories of young volunteers overcoming the hardships of a global pandemic to support those in need," said Ronn Nozoe, Chief Executive Officer, NASSP. "While we're especially proud to celebrate this year's 102 State Honorees, NASSP applauds every student who's found a way to volunteer this past year. You inspire your peers and adults alike to remember that, even in times of crisis, we all have something to give."
To read the names and stories of all 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 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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