Nicole Lanz of Valencia, a senior at Valencia High School, is being honored for starting an organization that has provided backpacks filled with school supplies to more than 600 children in third-world countries. 

 

Nicole will be presented with an engraved bronze medallion to signify her selection as a Distinguished Finalist in The 2006 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, which honors outstanding youth volunteers.  The presentation will take place on Monday, May  22, 2006, at 7:00pm during an awards ceremony at Valencia High School.

 

Nicole solicits donations, recruits volunteers, sorts and packages her collections, and then ships them to organizations serving children in third-world countries.

 

All middle level and high schools in the U.S., along with Girl Scouts councils, county 4-H organizations, Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and Volunteer Centers, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award last November.  Local Honorees were then reviewed by state-level judges, who selected two State Honorees in each state and the District of Columbia, plus a select number of Distinguished Finalists based on criteria such as personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.

 

The awards program, sponsored in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), is part of a broad initiative created by Prudential Financial to encourage young people to become involved in community service.  Other elements of the initiative include a community leadership training program for high school students, and a variety of educational materials for young people and teachers relating to youth volunteerism.

 

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