Two Mississippi Youth Honored for Volunteerism at National Award Ceremony in Washington, D.C

Business Wire, May 5, 2008

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Pays Tribute to Young Heroes as Part of Four-Day Recognition Events

WASHINGTON -- Two Mississippi students, Abigail Hardin, 18, and Katie Pinkard, 12, both of Clinton, were honored in the nation's capital last night for their outstanding volunteer work during the presentation of The 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The two young people - along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country - received $1,000 awards as well as personal congratulations from Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, at the 13th annual award ceremony and gala dinner reception, held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Abigail and Katie were named the top high school and middle level youth volunteers in Mississippi last February. In addition to their cash awards, they received engraved silver medallions and an all-expense-paid trip with their parents to Washington, D.C., for this week's recognition events.

Conducted in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards were created 13 years ago by Prudential Financial, Inc. to encourage youth volunteerism and to identify and reward young role models. Since then, the program has honored more than 80,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.

"Abigail and Katie are inspiring examples of young Americans who care deeply about the needs of others and who have taken the initiative to help meet those needs," said Prudential Chairman Arthur F. Ryan. "By honoring them, we hope not only to give them the recognition they so richly deserve, but also to inspire others to follow their example."

Abigail, a senior at Jackson Academy in Jackson, wrote a book to teach children how to be sensitive to those who are different, and then used it to lead group discussions with nearly 2,000 schoolchildren across Mississippi. Abigail, who was born with a port-wine birthmark on her cheek, said, "I remember many nights of crying and begging for answers as to why I had this 'defect' on my face." As a result, she said, "I became more sensitive towards others' feelings as I did not want to hurt them in ways that I had been hurt."

Since she loved to write, Abigail decided to author a book that would encourage children to focus on the similarities among people rather than their differences. She consulted with 14 teachers and a child development specialist before writing her book, entitled "Look At Me, I Am Just Like You." She then found an illustrator and "tested" her manuscript on teachers and children of all ages. Abigail has read her book to children in schools all over the state, and led group discussions on the issues it raises. She also is coordinating a new volunteer program in which students at her school read the book to children in the waiting rooms of the state's largest children's hospital. In addition, Abigail has established a nonprofit foundation that has raised $4,000 to fund projects that promote character-development in children. "I believe if we can help children see each other's value at a young age, we will see less loneliness, racism, suicides and bullying in forthcoming generations," she said.

Katie, a sixth-grader at Lovett Elementary School and a member of the Girl Scout Council of Middle Mississippi in Jackson, made 132 personal care bags for abused and homeless women staying at shelters in her area. Katie recently learned how to sew in Girl Scouts, and wanted to put her new skill to good use. "God wants us to use our talents and skills to help others," she said. "I thought sewing the drawstring bags would allow me to help women make their lives a little better."

Katie first made calls to four local shelters to determine if the bags were needed, and received enthusiastic responses. She purchased fabric and sewed together 132 drawstring bags. Katie then visited hotels and casinos in the Jackson and Vicksburg areas and asked for donations of soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, and other personal care items. Finally, Katie filled the bags with the collected items and "encouragement pamphlets," and delivered them to the four shelters. "The women in these shelters are usually at a low point in their lives," said Katie. "I hope that this small gift will let them know that people do care about giving them some hope."

Applications for the 2008 awards program were submitted last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and Volunteer Centers affiliated with the Points of Light & Hands On Network. The top middle level and high school applicants in each state and the District of Columbia were announced in February. These 102 State Honorees are in Washington this week with their parents for four days of special recognition events.

Ten of the 102 were named America's top ten youth volunteers for 2008 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters today. These National Honorees received additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal trophies for the schools that nominated them, and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for charities of their choice. [The ceremony can be viewed at www.prudential.com/spirit.]