Chattanooga Girl Named Top State Volunteer

A Chattanooga student was named Tuesday as Tennessee’s top youth volunteer for 2011 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.

Kaitlyn Fox, 11, is a sixth-grader at East Lake Academy. She is being recognized in Washington D.C. this Spring for her dedicated service to a local military troop during their deployment to Afghanistan.

“Kaitlyn exemplifies the meaning of inspiration at East Lake Academy! She has a deep desire to serve others and demonstrates it often by mentoring her peers, making encouraging treats for teachers and participating in school wide goodwill community projects,” says Principal LeAndrea Ware. “In the words of her teachers, ‘Caring for others is simply second nature to Kaitlyn Fox!’”

Kaitlyn sent a box of hygiene items, snacks, books and games every month to a local military unit while it was deployed to Afghanistan. On Veterans Day 2009, Kaitlyn listened as two Pearl Harbor survivors spoke to her class at school. “On the way home, I told my mom about our speakers and that I wanted to do something to put a smile on a soldier’s face,” she said. A teacher at her school told her about a unit of 88 soldiers that would be shipping out to Afghanistan soon, so Kaitlyn decided to take care of them with a program she calls “Smiles for Soldiers.”

She began making creative treats out of candy bars and selling them to teachers, church members, friends and relatives, and then bought $200 worth of personal supplies and presented them to the soldiers at a dinner in their honor where she was asked to be the guest speaker. “When I spoke to the soldiers, I told them I would pray for them,” said Kaitlyn. “When I sat down, they gave me a standing ovation! It was so awesome!” After the soldiers left for Afghanistan, Kaitlyn continued raising money so that she could ship them a big box of treats and personal items every month. She also sent cards written by friends, family members, and school and church acquaintances. “I want them to know that they have people supporting them,” said Kaitlyn. “They put their lives in danger so I can be free. This is the least that I can do.”

In addition, the program judges recognized six other Tennessee students, including a McCallie student, as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion:

Ryan Schumacher, 18, of Hixson, a volunteer with the Chattanooga Area Food Bank and a senior at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, was only 11 years old when he and his sister launched a project that has provided 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to needy children. For the past seven years, Ryan has helped secure cash and in-kind donations, shop for school supplies, organize and pack the backpacks and deliver them to children through various charitable groups.

Alyssa Dugger, 18, of Waverly, a senior at Waverly Central High School, raised $3,000 to support Special Olympics by hosting “Humphreys County Princess for a Day” events for kindergartners through third-graders. Alyssa, recently crowned “Fairest of the Fair,” held the events to raise money and to help build self-esteem in young girls by making them feel special.

Samuel Felker, 18, of Nashville, a senior at Ensworth High School, helped raise more than $15,000 to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) by leading a team of walkers in the Walk for a Cure. Samuel, who was diagnosed with diabetes in his freshman year, served as the youth ambassador for the Middle Tennessee JDRF and helped to raise awareness and promote fund-raising activities while also serving as a mentor for newly diagnosed children.

Somer Greene, 17, of Memphis, a junior at Hutchison School, is a passionate volunteer who founded “Teens on the Scene,” a youth-oriented community service program that encourages teens to serve those most in need. Somer, who started the organization during her freshman year, gathers the group monthly to conduct a different community service project benefiting various charitable organizations throughout the area.

Alexander Schoelkopf, 18, of Germantown, a senior at Memphis University School in Memphis, is the president of his school’s Civic Service Organization which has conducted 67 projects, donated more than 2,000 service hours and raised nearly $14,000 for charity last year. The projects Alexander helps to coordinate include serving meals to sick children, tutoring, donating pet supplies, and conducting drives for local food banks.

Jason van der Merwe, 17, of Knoxville, a senior in the Home Study Program of the Christian Academy of Knoxville, is a dedicated volunteer at SOAR, a youth ministry program at his church that works with underprivileged children. In addition to securing $4,000 in donations to upgrade SOAR’s computer lab with new equipment, Jason leads photography and computer classes for the children, and started a 4-H club.

“These award recipients have proven that young people across America are critical to the future of our neighborhoods, our nation, and our world,” said John R. Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. “Each and every one of these honorees deserve our respect and admiration, and we hope by shining a light on them, they will continue to serve as an example for others.”

“The young people recognized by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards demonstrate an enormous capacity for giving and reaching out to those in need,” said Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. “NASSP is proud to honor these student leaders because they are wonderful examples of the high caliber of young people in our nation’s schools today.”

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 HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award this past November. More than 5,000 Local Honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria such as personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.

While in Washington, D.C., the 102 State Honorees will tour the capital’s landmarks, attend a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and visit their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. In addition, 10 of them – five middle level and five high school students – will be named National Honorees on May 2 by a prestigious national selection committee. These 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.

Serving on the national selection committee will be John Strangfeld of Prudential; Jana Frieler, president of NASSP; Michelle Nunn, president and CEO of the Points of Light Institute & Hands On Network; Marguerite Kondracke, president and CEO of the America’s Promise Alliance; Donald T. Floyd Jr., president and CEO of National 4-H Council; Pamela Farr, the American Red Cross’ national chair of volunteers; Elson Nash, associate director for project management at the Corporation for National and Community Service; Michael Cohen, president and CEO of Achieve, Inc.; and two 2010 Prudential Spirit of Community National Honorees: Shannon McNamara of Basking Ridge, N.J., and Benjamin Sater of Plano, Texas.

In addition to granting its own awards, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program will be distributing President’s Volunteer Service Awards to more than 2,800 of its Local Honorees this year on behalf of President Barack Obama. The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represent the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. Since the program began in 1995, more than 95,000 young volunteers nationwide have been honored at the local, state or national level. Many prominent public figures have assisted in saluting these honorees over the years, including Jimmy Carter, Barbara Bush, Magic Johnson, John Glenn, Madeleine Albright, Rudy Giuliani, Whoopi Goldberg, Colin Powell, Peyton Manning, Laura Bush, and Condoleezza Rice. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland and India.

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