Washington's Top Youth Volunteers of 2021 Selected by National Program
Srishti Sankaran, 16, and Liem Kaplan, 13, have been recognized as Washington's top youth volunteers of 2021 through the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, honoring their impactful community service. Each will receive a $2,500 scholarship and an invitation to a virtual national celebration in April. Srishti co-founded a nonprofit addressing hunger, while Liem mobilized over 60 volunteers for a pandemic relief project, distributing thousands of masks and food packages. The awards, celebrating youth volunteerism, highlight service initiatives completed during 2019-2020.
- Recognition of youth volunteers enhances Prudential's community engagement reputation.
- Srishti's and Liem's initiatives reflect impactful service, potentially boosting brand goodwill.
- None.
NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Srishti Sankaran, 16, of Bellevue and Liem Kaplan, 13, of Sammamish today were named Washington'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, Srishti and Liem 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 Washington's top youth volunteers of 2021:
High School State Honoree: Srishti Sankaran
Nominated by Interlake High School
Srishti, a sophomore at Interlake High School, has been working to help feed the hungry in her community since 2012 and last year co-founded a nonprofit organization that raises funds and food donations for local and international groups that fight hunger. Srishti began volunteering in first grade when she joined friends and family members to cook and package food for people in need. "I mostly saw it as a way to have fun," she said. But one day when she and her father were at the post office, they noticed a mother and her two small children standing in the cold with a bundle of belongings at their feet. "We offered them food and the grateful looks on their faces made me realize that what I might consider to be small may mean something more to someone else," said Srishti.
Although she continued volunteering at local food banks and food packaging centers, a trip to India in 2019 convinced her that she needed to make a bigger impact on hunger, both at home and abroad. To do that, she collaborated with her sister to launch a nonprofit called "Food4Thought Foundation." As co-president of the foundation, Srishti helps raise money, conduct food drives and maintain a website to support a variety of organizations in the U.S. and India that serve the hungry. With the help of other volunteers, Srishti's foundation has provided food bundles to people affected by storms in India, packed thousands of meals for distribution to food banks, cooked and served meals at homeless shelters, organized food drives, and donated money for other aid projects.
Middle Level State Honoree: Liem Kaplan
Nominated by Montessori Children's House
Liem, a seventh-grader at Montessori Children's House, launched a campaign to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people experiencing homelessness, a campaign that ended up attracting 60 volunteers across the country who helped him provide more than 20,000 face masks, 10,000 sandwiches, 5,000 food bags and 7,000 pairs of socks. Liem, who was adopted as an infant from Vietnam, began supporting people experiencing homelessness years ago by organizing an annual donation drive that collected up to 1,000 coats a year. "It bothered me that people would just step over a homeless person and not even say hello," he said. "Everyone deserves respect and compassion." When the COVID-19 pandemic forced many shelters and food programs to close, Liem felt he had to do more. "I worried that no one was helping the people living on the streets," he said.
He asked a friend of his mother's to help him create a website, Facebook page and email account. Then he contacted organizations that help the homeless to assess their needs, and quickly discovered that they couldn't reopen because they lacked personal protective equipment. So Liem began asking people to sew and donate facemasks. At the same time, he was spending many late nights with his mother assembling food bags and hygiene kits for the homeless. As word of Liem's "Giving Hope Project" spread via social media and news media coverage, donations rolled in from across the country, enabling Liem to supply numerous service groups and organizations with masks and relief packages, and to personally hand out food and personal care items every week to people on the streets. As critical as these tangible supplies have been, "the most important thing we give is hope," said Liem.
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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