LITTLE ROCK -- A 15-year-old Springdale student has been selected as one of the top two youth volunteers of 2019 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.
Anna Claire Hay of Springdale and Taci Humphries, 11, of Ash Flat were were selected for the top two honors, according to a Prudential Financial press release. Each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., in May. They'll join the top two honorees from states throughout the nation and the District of Columbia for four days of national recognition events. Ten of the students will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2019.
Anna Claire, a sophomore at Shiloh Christian School, started "Teens with Integrity," a campaign to help young people find volunteer opportunities they are passionate about in Arkansas, the release said.
It started when Anna Claire was 11 when her grandmother had Alzheimer's disease and was being cared for in a nursing home.
"Watching my grandmother's memory start to wane was both heartbreaking and compelling," Anna Claire said in the release. "It became my mission to learn all I could from her life story."
As she spent more time with her grandmother, the release said Anna Claire realized there were many other Alzheimer's patients who rarely had visitors and whose stories would soon be lost.
Anna Claire, with help from a local business, provided cookies and milkshakes each week at the nursing home and invited friends to join her in visiting the residents, the release said. But she was quickly disappointed that most of her friends didn't share her enthusiasm. She realized her passion wasn't everyone's, and she needed to help her peers find theirs by exposing them to different volunteer opportunities.
To that end, Anna Claire speaks to groups about her campaign to get teens involved in their communities and has a website through which she encourages her peers to participate in projects, such as conducting book drives, writing letters to service members, ringing Salvation Army red-kettle bells during the holidays and serving as Santa's elves, the release said. She estimates she's helped about 8,000 students find meaningful ways to help over the years.
Taci, a sixth-grader at Highland Middle School, tutors a visually impaired student in her class and has helped him improve his grades dramatically, the release said. To help him, Taci had to learn to read and write in Braille and had to come up with ways to turn visual concepts, such as grids and tables, into things that didn't require sight.
"After racking my brain, I came up with the idea of using Play-Doh," said Taci. "Now he figures his ratios just like the rest of us."
Taci has also helped at a special needs rodeo, tutored students, made lap blankets for local veterans and helped teachers get their classrooms ready for the start of a new school year, the release said.
Distinguished finalists for the awards include:
Olivia Battles, 18, an Alma High School senior, started a food pantry for her fellow students called "Food for Friends," and with friends, teachers and the community raised $2,000 in food donations in the organization's first year. Sensitive to the importance of self-esteem in fellow biracial teenagers, she also started "Be-Utiful," which provides ethnic hair-care products and beauty advice for transracial foster families. She worked two jobs over the summer to purchase products for donation.
Lane Bogle, 18, a Valley Springs High School senior, started a mentoring program called "Tiger Encouragers" that meets weekly with more than 100 at-risk elementary students to tutor and work on social skills. The program has grown to 30 mentors and 30 "Tiny Tigers," and teachers have reported an improvement in grades, self-confidence and social skills among the students in the program. She also volunteers in her school food pantry.
Thomas Hollis, 18, a Lakeside High School senior volunteers for Our Promise Cancer Services, which helps cancer patients in 21 counties with utilities, gas and other expenses. He witnessed the obstacles faced by his immigrant mother first-hand as she negotiated cancer care for his grandfather. Hollis also worked on a grant to help raise $27,000 to house eight cancer patients during their treatment; tutors ESL learners; volunteers at the hospital and for events; and heads food and clothing drives.
Gracie Kimbrell, 18, a Bryant High School senior, designed and printed a prosthetic hand for a fellow student using a 3-D printer. The device allowed the student to pick up a drink, hold an umbrella and engage in other activities with her peers. Galvanized by the death of a friend with a congenital heart defect, Kimbrell and six other students also raised more than $150,000 for the Children's Miracle Network and Arkansas Children's Hospital.
"These young volunteers learned and demonstrated that they can make meaningful contributions to individuals and communities through their service," said Prudential CEO Charles Lowrey. "It's an honor to recognize their great work, and we hope that shining a spotlight on their service inspires others to consider how they might make a difference."
"Each of these honorees is proof that students have the energy, creativity and unique perspectives to create positive change," said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. "We commend each of the 2019 honorees for their outstanding volunteer service, and for the invaluable example they've set for their peers."
NW News on 02/06/2019