Two Alabama Youth Honored for Volunteerism at National Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Two Alabama students, David Wilson, 17, of Tuscaloosa and Olivia Cale, 14, of Birmingham, were honored in the nation’s capital last night for their outstanding volunteer work during the presentation of The 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The two young people – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – received $1,000 awards as well as personal congratulations from former First Lady Laura Bush at the 14^th annual award ceremony and gala dinner reception, held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.

David and Olivia were named the top high school and middle level youth volunteers in Alabama last February. In addition to their cash awards, they received engraved silver medallions and an all-expense-paid trip with their parents to Washington, D.C., for this week’s recognition events.

"The young people receiving these awards genuinely care about making a difference in the lives of others and have accomplished so much – in their own communities and around the world,” said Mrs. Bush, who delivered the keynote address at last night’s ceremony. "I thank and congratulate them for their outstanding volunteer work. Students with this kind of commitment and leadership ability are essential to the future of our nation.”

David, a senior at Northridge High School, founded a nonprofit organization that is teaching hundreds of elementary and middle school students in his community about teamwork, creative thinking, deductive reasoning, public speaking, and community involvement. David says he became interested in these subjects as an elementary student attending a special "magnet” school, and later realized how important they are to every child’s education. "I began to think, somebody needs to go into schools and after-school programs and teach the skills that I learned,” he said.

David recruited three other high school students to help him develop a semester of lessons and activities, and then persuaded a local elementary school to let them run a pilot program with two fifth-grade classes once a month. The pilot was such a success, said David, that a local newspaper published a story about it, and before long, other schools began to express interest in the program. To meet the demand, David and his partners trained high school students from all over their community to be instructors, and obtained financial support from two local businesses. Today, David’s THINK Organization sends more than 20 high school students to nine schools and YMCA after-school programs each month to conduct 90-minute skill-building and service-learning sessions. "We touch the lives of hundreds of children each month,” said David. "There is such a joy that comes from volunteering and getting involved in the world around you.”

Olivia, an eighth-grader at Huffman Middle School, volunteered 235 hours at the Birmingham Zoo last year feeding and caring for animals, assisting with birthday parties and other special events, working at the zoo’s summer camps, instructing visitors, and helping with a recycling program. Olivia, who loves animals, decided several years ago that she wanted to work at the zoo. But then "I learned that you had to be 13 years old to volunteer. So when I became old enough, I applied for the job,” she said.

After a successful interview, she had to complete two days of training, pass two tests, and take seven "Biofact” classes to learn about different species of animals at the zoo. This proved especially challenging for Olivia, since "I am severely dyslexic and have trouble reading,” she explained. But her training really paid off one summer afternoon when lightning struck the zoo’s primate building, and Olivia was able to evacuate all visitors from the building safely and in accordance with zoo procedures. In addition to her many responsibilities at the zoo, Olivia recruited fellow Girl Scouts and other friends to volunteer at two major winter fund-raising events. And she plans to take additional courses so she can become an animal handler and work in the Children’s Zoo. "I learned that I am a strong person, that I can do a lot of things, and I will not let my dyslexia get in my way,” Olivia said proudly.

"David and Olivia are inspiring examples of young Americans who care deeply about the needs of others and who have taken the initiative to help meet those needs,” said John R. Strangfeld, Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. "By honoring them, we hope not only to give them the recognition they so richly deserve, but also to inspire others to follow their example.”

Nearly 20,000 young people submitted applications for the 2009 awards program last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of the Points of Light Institute’s HandsOn Network. The top middle level and high school applicants in each state were selected in February, and were flown to Washington this week with their parents for four days of special recognition events.

Conducted in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created 14 years ago by Prudential Financial, Inc. to encourage youth volunteerism and to identify and reward young role models. Since then, the program has honored nearly 90,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.

"The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is a fabulous partnership between NASSP and Prudential, allowing us to recognize the outstanding young people in our schools and communities,” said NASSP President Larry Bradley. "This year’s honorees exemplify the true spirit of helping others and by doing so they give America and the world a promising future, a future filled with compassion and hope.”

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards are supported by the American Association of School Administrators, the National Middle School Association, the National School Boards Association, the Council of the Great City Schools, Girl Scouts of the USA, National 4-H Council, the American Red Cross, YMCA of the USA, the Points of Light Institute, and other national education and service organizations.

More information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year’s honorees can be found at http://spirit.prudential.com or www.principals.org/prudential.

In existence since 1916, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. NASSP’s mission is to promote excellence in school leadership. The National Honor Society®, National Junior Honor Society®, National Elementary Honor Society™, and National Association of Student Councils® are all NASSP programs. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, Va., visit www.principals.org or call 703-860-0200.

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) is a financial services leader with 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 approximately 50 million 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.news.prudential.com.

[Editors: full-color pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions are available at http://spirit.prudential.com.]

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