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Louisiana's Top Youth Volunteers Of 2018 Selected By National Program


BATON ROUGE, La., Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Olivia Cuthbert, 16, of Dubach and Joey Gouthiere, 12, of Shreveport today were named Louisiana's top two youth volunteers of 2018 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Olivia and Joey each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in late April to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for four days of national recognition events. During the trip, 10 students will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2018.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards logo

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 23rd year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

These are Louisiana's top youth volunteers of 2018:

High School State Honoree: Olivia Cuthbert
Nominated by Cedar Creek School in Ruston

Olivia, a junior at Cedar Creek School, enables very sick children to express themselves creatively through an art therapy program she started last year in honor of a friend who spent much of her short life in hospitals. Olivia has always had a passion for art and so did Katie, a family friend who passed away from a brain tumor at the age of 7. "Katie and I both took lessons from the same art studio," said Olivia. "During her time in and out of medical facilities, she was continuously creating different art projects in her bed to help her pass the time." From her own experience, Olivia knew how artistic expression could help relieve stress and how joyful she felt when she was creating art. So after Katie died, Olivia wanted to bring that feeling to kids who are confined to a hospital room for weeks or even months.

After developing a business plan, Olivia formed "A Work of heART" and recruited a board of directors and a small group of volunteers, then began contacting volunteer directors at hospitals in her region to arrange visits. She also set up social media sites and spoke to civic groups to publicize her mission and find sponsors and donors. After purchasing art supplies, Olivia and her cohorts traveled to hospitals in Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas to conduct group and individual art sessions for the children there. As demand for her service grows, she is training more people to help, and hopes that hospitalized children in every state will one day have access to her program. "My goal is to keep Katie's legacy alive and to allow as many children and young adults as possible the opportunity to escape the rigor of their treatments," said Olivia.        

Middle Level State Honoree: Joey Gouthiere
Nominated by Youree Drive Middle School in Shreveport

Joey, a seventh-grader at Youree Drive Middle School, is on a mission to take care of the planet through "Geaux Green," an environmental campaign that encompasses gardening, recycling, conservation and community beautification. Even when he was very young, Joey showed concern for the health and appearance of his surroundings. "Whenever I would see litter on the ground, I felt like I needed to make a change and help the Earth," he said. "It made me feel like I needed to make a difference and encourage people to stop littering, pick up litter and recycle."

After Joey settled on Geaux Green for the name, he designed a logo and began telling people about his mission through fliers, social media and word of mouth. One of his first steps was to "adopt" a garden at his school. He sought donations of gardening equipment from local businesses and then organized regular work days for volunteers to plant flowers and pull weeds. In addition, he arranged for recycling containers at his school and a nearby park, and started hosting litter cleanup days that have drawn hundreds of volunteers. Joey also spoke in front of community leaders and civic organizations, each time asking audience members to take a pledge to work for a cleaner planet. "There is still work to do," said Joey, noting that people still litter and fail to recycle. "Hopefully, we'll eventually get them to step up and realize why they should want to take care of this world."    

Distinguished Finalists

The program judges also recognized four other Louisiana students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

These are Louisiana's Distinguished Finalists for 2018:

Olivia Davis, 17, of Shreveport, La., a senior at Caddo Parish Magnet High School, started an initiative in 2015 that has created and donated treat-filled "chemo kits" for more than 600 people undergoing cancer treatment. Inspired by her late aunt, who started a cancer-fighting nonprofit after being treated for breast cancer, Olivia collects selected items and monetary donations for her care packages, and hosts a volunteer kit-packing day during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Nikki Leali, 12, of New Orleans, La., a sixth-grader at Ursuline Academy, has been a dedicated community literacy advocate for the past six years, leading projects from a youth reading club to a collection that has gathered and circulated more than 40,000 books. Nikki, whose collections have helped to stock more than 100 Little Free Libraries in her city, also volunteers weekly with the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library.

Emmaline Miller, 18, of Lafayette, La., a senior at Lafayette High School, is the founder of an initiative called "Poets for Life," and led a series of summer poetry workshops for kids ages 4-15 at a local Boys & Girls Club to promote self-expression and literacy. Emmaline's workshops reached about 50 students with accessible, appealing lessons in rhyme, theme and critical reading; she concluded the classes by creating a portfolio for the students' work.

Sunakshi Sharma, 18, of Monroe, La., a senior at Neville High School, organized a series of fundraisers to provide portable pack 'n play cribs to a local hospital after learning that safe sleeping environments are a key factor in preventing sudden infant death syndrome. Sunakshi sold baked goods and turkey legs to raise money for her initiative, which has benefited more than 30 infants.

"Prudential is proud to recognize these remarkable young people for using their energy, creativity and compassion to bring meaningful change to their communities," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. "We hope their stories inspire others to consider how they can do the same."

"These middle level and high school students have not only improved the lives of the people and communities they've served ? they also set an important example for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "These honorees prove that you're never too young to make a difference."

About The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. All public and private middle level and high schools in the country, as well as all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award. These Local Honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth. 

While in Washington, D.C., the 102 State Honorees ? one middle level and one high school student from each state and the District of Columbia ? will tour the capital's landmarks, meet top youth volunteers from other parts of the world, attend a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. On April 30, 10 of the State Honorees ? five middle level and five high school students ? will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2018. These National Honorees will receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for nonprofit charitable organizations of their choice.  

Since the program began in 1995, more than 120,000 young volunteers have been honored at the local, state and national level. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, India, China, Brazil and Poland. In addition to granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program also distributes President's Volunteer Service Awards to qualifying Local Honorees.

For information on all of this year's Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visit http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.

About NASSP

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high quality professional learning experiences. 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. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit www.nassp.org.

About Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit www.news.prudential.com.

For Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallion graphics, please visit https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media

SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.


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