Illinois' Top Youth Volunteers Of 2018 Selected By National Program

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kennison Adams, 18, of Edwardsville and Rosalea Colucci, 13, of Palatine today were named Illinois' 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, Kennison and Rosalea 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, now in its 23^rd year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

These are Illinois' top youth volunteers of 2018:

High School State Honoree: Kennison Adams
Nominated by Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville

Kennison, a senior at Edwardsville High School, has assisted hundreds of people in emergency situations over the past three years as a member of the Edwardsville Fire Department Explorer Post. She learned about the opportunity to serve her community in that capacity at an informational presentation in her medical careers class. "I have always had a passion for medicine, along with a compassion for helping others, and this program combined both aspects," said Kennison.

In order to join the Explorer Post program, Kennison had to be trained and certified in CPR, first-aid and blood-borne pathogen safety, and learn how to draw blood and start IVs. Now, she makes sure fire trucks and ambulances are stocked and ready for emergency calls, rides along with first-responders to assist in any way she can, and cleans up vehicles afterwards. Kennison also provides hands-on help at community events, including fire department open houses and safety awareness presentations, pediatric cancer fundraisers and local homecoming carnivals and festivals. She is currently assistant chief of her Explorer Post program.   

Middle Level State Honoree: Rosalea Colucci
Nominated by Plum Grove Junior High School in Rolling Meadows

Rosalea, an eighth-grader at Plum Grove Junior High School, has collected more than 60,000 toys, books, stuffed animals, games and other gifts for hospitalized children, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help find a cure for childhood cancer. When she was just 3, Rosie was diagnosed with brain tumors and numerous other serious conditions that required her to spend a lot of time in the hospital. While there, she received so many gifts that her mother said she couldn't keep them all. So Rosie decided to share them with kids who didn't have any. "I know what it's like to lay in a hospital bed feeling bored and bad, worse than bad, and miss out on fun, school, playgrounds, riding bikes, holiday parties, play dates and sports," she said. "I wanted to make other kids' hospital stays better. I wanted to bring them sunshine and joy!"

A year after her diagnosis, Rosie started "Rosie's Toy Box" and began collecting donated gifts in a plastic bin outside her family's front door. Before long, she was not only soliciting donations of toys and other items for pediatric patients, but was also working to raise money for a variety of charities and foundations. She asks big and small businesses, schools, churches, daycare centers and restaurants to conduct toy drives or fundraisers with her; and she promotes her efforts through fliers, social media and the news media. Among the activities she has conducted to pursue her mission are walk/runs, lemonade and bake sales, dance marathons, school competitions and head-shaving. "I want to further research so kids like me don't have to die," said Rosie. "We need some answers! We need a cure now!"       

Distinguished Finalists

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

These are Illinois' Distinguished Finalists for 2018:

Sophia (Sophie) Happ, 14, of Monticello, Ill., an eighth-grader at Monticello Middle School, started a drive four years ago that has collected nearly 15,000 books for children in need. Sophie spreads the word and distributes collection boxes to schools throughout her district, works with friends and family to sort books by reading level and genre, then contacts agencies to find them good homes.

Taylor Larson, 18, of Chillicothe, Ill., a senior at Illinois Valley Central High School, has collected 6,500 stuffed animals over the past 10 years to bring comfort to kids in the hospital, children's homes, house fires and domestic disputes. Taylor started by volunteering with the stuffed animal drive that gave her a much-loved teddy bear when she was in the hospital, and later decided to expand her impact by starting her own nonprofit, "Cuddles for Kids."

Radoslava Pribyl Pierdinock, 17, of Riverside, Ill., a senior at Riverside Brookfield Township High School, led an initiative that turned a run-down room into a library for students at a school in a low-income community. After learning that the students didn't have a library, Radoslava worked with educators and her town libarian on a concept for a space where kids would be excited to read, then rallied her community to donate books, furnishings and manpower to help bring the idea to life.

Bhavana Ravala, 17, of Bloomington, Ill., a senior at Normal Community High School, has dedicated hundreds of hours to education advocacy, and created an organization that evolved from a mentoring program for kids from low-income families to a political advocacy group. Bhavana's group, which now includes about 20 people, writes and compiles resources advocating for the right to education for kids around the world.

Evan Robinson, 12, of Chicago, Ill., a seventh-grader at Kenwood Academy High School, raised more than $2,000 for relief efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria by making and selling nearly 1,000 empanadas. When out-of-towners contributed to #PiesforPuertoRico but couldn't pick up their empanadas in person, Evan donated their pies to homeless shelter.

Clare Vanspeybroeck, 18, of Rock Island, Ill., a member of Rock Island County 4-H and a senior at Alleman High School, has directed an annual volunteer meal-packaging event since 2015, raising more than $11,000 and packaging 78,000 meals over the past three years to feed the hungry in her region. Clare, whose events have drawn more than 500 volunteers, mentored several teenagers this year to ensure that the project can continue in the future.

Matthew Williams, 16, of Schaumburg, Ill., a sophomore at Schaumburg High School, has been responsible since June 2016 for expanding and maintaining the parent resource library at his local Easter Seals facility, stretching limited resources to ensure parents have the information they need to help their kids with disabilities gain independence. Matthew, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, has supported the library through efforts from cataloguing to calling in overdue materials.

Esther Xiang, 16, of Freeport, Ill., a junior at Freeport High School, is the founder and president of the "Freeport Food Ark," a nonprofit that mobilizes young people to fight food insecurity. Motivated by her own experience with food insecurity, Esther has also helped other schools create their own Food Ark clubs and help them establish gardens and food pantries.

"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.