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

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Washington's top two youth volunteers of 2015, Leah Shin, 18, of Bothell and Fiona Cowell, 12, of Olympia, were honored in the nation's capital last night for their outstanding volunteer service during the 20^th annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Leah and Fiona – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – each received $1,000 awards and personal congratulations from "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts at an award ceremony and gala dinner reception held at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), named Leah and Fiona Washington's top high school and middle level youth volunteers in February. In addition to their cash awards, they each received an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent to Washington, D.C., for four days of recognition events.

Leah, a senior at Henry M. Jackson High School, started a literacy club at her high school that mentors immigrant students in learning English and adapting to their new environment, and collects books written in English for kids locally and in third-world countries. When Leah, a second-generation Korean-American, was in elementary school, she was placed in an ESL (English as a Second Language) class even though she spoke fluent English. In that class, she saw how kids from more recent immigrant families struggled to read and understand. "They did not own English-written books at home, so the little English they learned at school would be quickly forgotten," said Leah. "After years of watching transfer students enter my high school lost, I wanted to do something that could help them get on their feet."

Leah formed a club called "Literacy for Love" and invited classmates to come to school early to meet with ESL students to practice English, form friendships, and help them integrate into their new community. She and club members developed a website, promotional video, and a Facebook page; and made flyers and posters to promote a book drive that yielded more than 6,000 books. She distributed the books to ESL classrooms and students, hospitals, senior centers and shelters; and is in the process of creating care packages containing books for children in third-world countries. Literacy for Love now has about 80 members and has expanded to other high schools in her area.

Fiona, a member of the Thurston County 4-H (including the Steamboat Island Kibbles & Bits Dog 4-H Club) and a sixth-grader at Black Lake Elementary, has worked on many volunteer projects with her 4-H clubs that benefit both animals and people. Fiona joined 4-H when she was 5 years old when her mother, a former 4-Her herself, became a leader. "Being in 4-H has helped me appreciate how blessed my life is," said Fiona. "Being a 4-Her has changed my life by allowing me to change the lives of others for the greater good."

Throughout the year, club members discuss the needs of the community and how they can help. That was how Fiona got involved in helping a financially struggling pet shelter. Fiona and club members donated toys, beds, food and money. "It felt nice to help the place that I adopted my own dog from," she said. She often takes her dog Daisy on trips to a local nursing home, and recalls one particularly rewarding visit with a bed-ridden elderly woman who fell in love with the dog. "By the time we had to go, Daisy and the lady were inseparable!" she said. Fiona also has worked with her 4-H group to clear vegetation that was clogging a salmon stream, clean animal enclosures at a wildlife rehabilitation center, stuff stockings for children in need at Christmas, and collect food for a food bank.

"As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, we are delighted to recognize the 2015 honorees for their exemplary volunteer service," said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. "These young people have demonstrated leadership, compassion and perseverance, and we look forward to seeing all they accomplish in the future."

"These honorees represent the best of what America's youth have to offer," said G.A. Buie, president of NASSP. "They have set a powerful example for their peers by proving that one young person really can make a difference, and it is a privilege to shine a spotlight on their good works."

Youth volunteers in grades 5-12 were invited to apply for 2015 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of the HandsOn Network. More than 33,000 middle level and high school students nationwide participated in this year's program.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program was created in 1995 to identify and recognize young people for outstanding volunteer service – and, in so doing, inspire others to volunteer, too. In the past 20 years, the program has honored more than 100,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level.

For more information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year's honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.

About NASSP

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and school leaders from across the United States and 35 countries around the world. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high-quality professional learning experiences. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils. For more information about NASSP, located in Reston, VA, visit www.nassp.org.

About Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial, Inc. 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 and investment management. 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.

Editors: For full-color pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions, click here: http://bit.ly/Xi4oFW

For B-roll of Washington's honorees at the 2015 national recognition events, contact Prudential's Harold Banks at (973) 216-4833 or harold.banks@prudential.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150504006236/en/