New Jersey's Top Two Youth Volunteers Selected in 11th Annual National Awards Program; Parsippany and Paramus Students Earn $1,000 Awards, Engraved Medallions and Trip to Nation's Capital; Honors Also Bestowed on Other Top Youth Volunteers in New Jersey

Business Wire, Feb 14, 2006

TRENTON, N.J. -- Michael Pesci, 16, of Parsippany and Jessica Diamond, 12, of Paramus today were named New Jersey's top two youth volunteers for 2006 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its 11th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Michael was nominated by DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, and Jessica was nominated by West Brook Middle School in Paramus. 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 - one middle level and one high school youth - 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 2006 at that time.

Michael, a sophomore at DePaul Catholic High School, organized an annual "home run derby" that has raised more than $75,000 over the past four years for disabled and disadvantaged individuals. Michael's project began shortly after he volunteered to help out with a baseball game for special-needs kids. "Their attitude and passion to play baseball, even though they were handicapped, was very inspiring," he said. Searching for a way to support these young athletes, he decided to hold a home-run hitting contest similar to one at a baseball camp he'd attended.

After Michael and a friend developed an action plan, they formed a nonprofit corporation, figured out how their derby would work, and began publicizing the event through a Web site (www.perfectpitchhrd.com) and speaking engagements. At the event, both kids and adults made donations for the opportunity to swing at seven pitches and win trophies for the longest hits. During the four years that the "Perfect Pitch" Home Run Derby has been held, Michael also has raised money by soliciting donations from corporations and holding raffles for sports memorabilia donated by former New York Yankees Don Larsen, Yogi Berra and David Cone. The money raised so far has been used primarily to buy equipment for a local sports league for disabled kids, to finance trips for a Boy Scout troop of physically and mentally handicapped adults, and support sports programs for inner-city children.

Jessica, a seventh-grader at West Brook Middle School, started a community service club at her school that has attracted 140 student members, raised more than $10,000 for a variety of causes, and taken part in numerous other volunteer activities. "As the daughter of a very active Rotary Club member, I have seen first-hand the impact that people working together can make," Jessica said. "I thought about how great it would be to have a service organization like that at my school." In pursuit of that vision, Jessica wrote a proposal to form a React Club affiliated with the local Rotary Club, and presented it to school officials. Once approved, Jessica began recruiting members, leading meetings and brainstorming club activities.

During its first year, the club raised more than $2,400 and prepared more than 100 backpacks full of school supplies for victims of Hurricane Katrina, collected $1,300 for victims of the Asian tsunami, and organized a book drive for disadvantaged children and senior citizens. Club members also visited local health care facilities, baked bread for a soup kitchen, read to children at an inner-city preschool, and raised $6,000 to provide life-saving heart surgery for an Ecuadorian child. "A dream of mine would be to see every middle school in the United States have a dynamic club just like ours," Jessica said, "and that every middle school student would know what it feels like to make a difference in the life of another person."

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

Michael Bachmann, 15, of Highland Park, a sophomore at Highland Park High School, created an educational program designed to teach elementary-school students about the human body, medicine and career opportunities in the medical field. With help from a community library and the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital volunteer office and medical school, Michael created materials, developed presentations, designed flyers and T-shirts, and recruited medical-school students as speakers for a series of classes on medical topics.

Josephine Droney, 15, of Linwood, a freshman at Mainland Regional High School, raises funds and collects needed items for children's charities by holding community service parties on her birthday. Each year, Josephine selects a charity, asks it for a wish list, and then invites guests to come to her party with items from the wish list instead of gifts for her. Josephine's parties have brought in more than $20,000 over the past seven years.