2011-02-08 14:18:41 -

Christina Antonini, 18, of Edgewater and Sareana Kimia, 12, of Bethesda today were named Maryland's top two youth volunteers for 2011 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 16th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Christina was nominated by the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland in Baltimore, and Sareana was nominated by Parkland Magnet Middle School in Rockville. As State Honorees, each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states

and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2011 at that time.

Christina, a senior at Severn School in Severna Park and a member of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland in Baltimore, spent thousands of hours over the past six years helping to lead her Girl Scout troop in designing, financing and building a resale shop and job training center at a residential rehabilitation facility for low-income women and their children. When she was in sixth grade, Christina volunteered to host a Christmas party at the facility and helped the mothers and children living there bake cookies. “I really felt sympathy for the women because they were fighting to keep their families together,” said Christina.
“They were trying to make a fresh start and I really wanted to help them.”

Christina and her Girl Scout troop later learned that the facility, Chrysalis House, needed a storage shed to store excess donations, and they decided to help. They met with an architect to draw up plans, and made design changes until the shed grew into a two-story, 1,700-square-foot building that would house a “Butterfly Boutique” and a place for residents to learn job skills. After a general contractor agreed to donate his time to the project, Christina made presentations to building suppliers and manufacturers, asking for donations of supplies and/or labor. She and her fellow scouts also sold engraved bricks to raise money for the project. Open since last October, the Butterfly Boutique sells clothing, household items, books, art, jewelry and other items to provide revenue for Chrysalis House, while enabling residents to learn new job and small business skills.

Sareana, a seventh-grader at Parkland Magnet Middle School, prepared meals for dozens of poor, hungry children at a temple in India during two trips to that country last year. While visiting her grandparents, Sareana saw many children on the streets near a temple, who live without food, water, shelter, or proper clothing. “I saw many children who were barely clothed and dirty,” said Sareana. “They suffered from extreme poverty and hunger. I was very heartbroken. I knew I could do something.”

She asked her grandfather if he could get permission for her to use the temple kitchen. Once permission was granted, Sareana met with temple employees to learn how to use the kitchen, and scheduled a time when children would likely be in the area. She then asked her grandmother for help in planning a menu and drawing up a shopping list. Her mother helped Sareana cook the meals, and her cousins helped serve them.

Between 35 and 40 hungry children benefited from the five meals Sareana and her team prepared last winter and from nine meals served during a trip last summer. The temple is continuing Sareana’s cooking program, she said. Back in the U.S., she made a presentation on the issue of poverty and hunger to 150 people and would like to start a program here similar to the one in India. “I want to continue to see the happy and cheerful faces of poor and hungry children when they are fed,” said Sareana. “I think that one can change life one small step at a time.”


In addition, the program judges recognized six other Maryland students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.

Kristy Choi, 17, of Boyds, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, has donated more than 600 hats to children battling cancer through the organization she co-founded, “Codi’s Hats.” Kristy, who created “Codi’s Hats” in 2009 to honor her friend who died in a car accident, manages large groups of volunteers who make hats during hat-making sessions and sends them to hospitals across the country.

Josephine Grant, 16, of Taneytown, a sophomore at Francis Scott Key High School in Union Bridge, has raised nearly $20,000 through her foundation, “Josie’s Smiles for Pediatrics,” which has helped purchase toys, baby items, treats and books for the Pediatric and Emergency Unit at the Carrol Hospital Center. Josephine, who wants to be a neonatal nurse one day, obtained donations by overcoming her shyness and making phone calls and sending letters to corporations and businesses.

Meira Gunzburg, 17, of Baltimore, a senior at Bais Yaakov Eva Winer High School, has helped raise $22,000 for The Jewish Caring Network by helping to produce, choreograph and skate in a figure skating show annually since 2005. Meira, who also helps with costumes, fund-raising and ticket sales, is also coaching younger skaters in the production.

Tasha Robinson, 17, of Taneytown, a senior at Francis Scott Key High School in Union Bridge, has raised $37,000 in cash or in-kind donations since 2007 to provide items for the local food pantry, toiletry and school supplies for the needy, and pet food for a local pet relief program. Tasha, who recruited friends and school groups to help her over the years, raised the funds by running drives at local shopping centers.

Clarissa Schilstra, 16, of Ellicott City, a junior at Mt. Hebron High School, is a Pediatric Oncology Patient Ambassador for Johns Hopkins Hospital, and has been the featured speaker at various events that have raised more than $60,000 to support the hospital. Clarissa, who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 2 and has spent more than a third of her life on chemotherapy, has been a spokesperson for the hospital since she finished her last round of treatment in November of 2009.

Adrianna Smith, 18, of Chevy Chase, a senior at Georgetown Visitation Prep School in Washington, D.C., founded “YouReach,” a mentoring and tutoring program to help nurture creative writing and improve English skills among young Hispanic children in the D.C. area. Adrianna, who is also Hispanic, recruited a group of teens to become mentors, coordinated both a summer enrichment camp and a weekly session throughout the school year, and secured visits from many successful Hispanics, including U.S.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

“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 : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. .

In existence since 1916, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the preeminent organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the world. NASSP’s mission is to promote excellence in school leadership. The National Honor Society ®, National Junior Honor Society ®, National Elementary Honor Society™, and National Association of Student Councils ® are all NASSP programs. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, Va., visit www.nassp.org : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww .. or call 703-860-0200.

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, investment management, and real estate services. 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/ : cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww ..

Editors: Graphics depicting the award program’s logo and medallions may be downloaded from spirit.prudential.com.

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Prudential FinancialHarold Banks(973) 802-8974 (office)(973)
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