The Prudential Spirit of Community award, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism, is given annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to two secondary school students from each U.S. state and Washington, DC.

Three U.S. students, Kevin Russell of Eagle, Idaho; Katherine Amigo of West Windsor, New Jersey; and Megan Johnson of McLoud, Oklahoma, were recently honored with the Prudential Spirit of Community Award for their volunteer efforts in support of Special Olympics. The award, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism, is given annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to two secondary school students from each U.S. state and Washington, DC.

Russell was recognized for a fundraising project he created to benefit the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held in Boise, Idaho. He was very touched by a poem he had heard at a Special Olympics breakfast benefit about a mother of a child with an intellectual disability who visited Holland and compared the beautiful tulips to the beauty of Special Olympics athletes. Russell then came up with the idea to raise funds for Special Olympics while bringing this beauty to his own town by asking businesses and individuals to sponsor the planting of tulips throughout the community. He gained the support of his school and the state and national Special Olympics Programs, and then organized a "kick-off" assembly attended by Special Olympics athletes, the governor's wife and other dignitaries. He wrote letters, produced posters and sponsor sheets, and secured donations of more than 2,000 tulip bulbs. He recruited more than 500 student volunteers to help collect pledges and plant the bulbs throughout the community. To date, Russell has raised nearly US$5,000 through his "Tulip the Town" campaign, and the flowers are reminders of the beauty and impact of Special Olympics athletes.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represent the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service.

Amigo's volunteer efforts in support of Special Olympics began after she attended Opening Ceremonies for the Special Olympics New Jersey Games. She was so touched that she put her musical and dance abilities together with those of her friends to create a 14-student fundraising band. Amigo planned a concert to benefit Special Olympics, reserving her school's auditorium, developing musical arrangements and conducting rehearsals at her house over a three-month period. She then publicized the event, secured donations from local businesses, and designed a program, banners and props for the performance. The concert was held last June and raised US$2,000 to benefit Special Olympics.

Johnson was honored for her passionate volunteer efforts for disabled children, which have included helping to build a handicap-accessible playground through raising funds and assisting with construction; coaching Special Olympics athletes at a state competition; raising donations for a "Buddy Walk" to benefit the Oklahoma Down Syndrome Association; and creating a program that teaches children with disabilities basic dance movements.

?Russell, Amigo and Johnson exemplify the impact that volunteers can have in supporting Special Olympics athletes and the organization's movement toward acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. As state honorees, each student recipient will receive US$1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, DC, for several days of national recognition events.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represent the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. The program is part of a broad youth-service initiative by Prudential that includes a youth leadership training program administered by the Points of Light Foundation; a free booklet of volunteer ideas for young people offered through the Federal Citizen Information Center; and a Web site featuring profiles of outstanding youth volunteers, volunteer tips and project ideas for students, an electronic newspaper on youth volunteerism, and more (www.prudential.com/spirit).

PHOTO CAPTIONS
Kevin Russell (center), is a recipient of the 2006 Prudential Spirit of Community Award for his volunteer efforts in support of Special Olympics. Pictured with Russell, coordinator of "Tulip the Town", a fundraiser for the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games to be held in Boise, Idaho, are Idaho athletes and Global Messengers Jeff Wilson (left) and Evelyn Martinez (right).

The Prudential Spirit of Community award, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism, is given annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) to two secondary school students from each U.S. state and Washington, DC.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represent the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service.