Orion Jean of Fort Worth, Texas named one of America's top 10 youth volunteers of 2021 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

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05/03/2021 - 10:06 AM

NEWARK, N.J., May 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Orion Jean, 10, of Fort Worth, Texas, was named one of America's top 10 youth volunteers of 2021 on Sunday evening by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards during the program's 26th annual, and second fully virtual, national recognition celebration. Selected from a field of more than 21,000 youth volunteers from across the country, Orion has earned the title of National Honoree, along with a scholarship of $5,000, an engraved gold medallion, a crystal trophy for his school, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation for a nonprofit organization of his choice.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored 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.

Orion, a fifth-grader at Chisholm Ridge Elementary, 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." Realizing that "the best way to spread kindness is to lead by example," Orion started planning a series of "race" events after winning his contest, beginning with the "Race to 500 Toys." For that toy drive, he researched toys that are both fun and budget friendly and then posted a wish list on a website that his mother created. Using his contest prize money, along with donations received through the website, Orion began shopping for toys. He also set up toy collection boxes at his school and a community center. In just over a month, Orion accumulated more than 600 toys, which he unboxed, sorted and delivered to a Dallas children's hospital last fall.

Orion wanted to do something even bigger for his second "race," so he embarked on the "Race to 100,000 Meals." Partnering with an organization that collects food for the hungry, Orion filled "snack packs" with fruit, granola bars and bottles of water, and appealed to others to do the same. He then helped organized local drop-off events and pack all of the donated sack packs into delivery trucks. Drop-off events also ended up being held in other states by people inspired by Orion. At last count, Orion was well on his way to reaching his 100,000-meal goal.

"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 other 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.

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.