New Hampshire's Top Youth Volunteers of 2021 Selected by National Program

NEWARK, N.J., Feb. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Angelica Whitney, 15, of Epsom and Gabrielle Selig, 13, of Durham today were named New Hampshire's top youth volunteers of 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America's largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service.

As State Honorees, Angelica and Gabrielle will each receive a $2,500 scholarship, a silver medallion and an invitation to the program's virtual national recognition celebration in April, where 10 of the 102 State Honorees will be named America's top youth volunteers of the year. Those 10 National Honorees will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their nominating organization and a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit charitable organization of their choice.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades 5-12 for making meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service.

"We created the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 26 years ago to highlight and support the work of young people taking on the challenges of a changing world – a mission that rings truer than ever given the events of last year," said Charles Lowrey, Prudential's chairman and CEO. "We are proud to celebrate the vision and determination of Spirit of Community's Class of 2021, and all the ways they're making their communities safer, healthier and more equitable places to live."

These are New Hampshire's top youth volunteers of 2021:

High School State Honoree: Angelica Whitney
Nominated by Bishop Brady High School

Angelica, a junior at Bishop Brady High School, has made more than 6,750 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, face shields and door openers, for healthcare facilities, first responders, nursing homes, veterinary clinics, businesses and schools since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a member of her high school's FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team, Angelica was inspired to volunteer by an email from FIRST Tech challenging robotic teams across the country to donate one million PPE items to make their communities safer. "I had heard about the lack of PPE in states including New Hampshire, and how facilities were having COVID-19 outbreaks because of this," she said.

She started by sewing cloth masks on her sewing machine -- a time-consuming job, she said, and one that she was eventually able to hand off to a family friend. To buy supplies, Angelica applied for grants and appealed for donations. The robotics team stores its two 3D printers at Angelica's house, so by running the printers constantly, she was able to produce large numbers of headbands for face shields, ear savers for elastic masks, and door openers. As she made her products, Angelica reached out to a range of facilities to see if they needed PPE. She then got her robotics team involved in delivering the items, which, she estimates, have helped protect more than 4,000 individuals at over 30 locations. Her project, she said, will continue until there no longer is a need for people to protect themselves from virus exposure.

Middle Level State Honoree: Gabrielle Selig
Nominated by Oyster River Middle School

Gabrielle, an eighth-grader at Oyster River Middle School, sells home-baked cupcakes and cookies on social media , and has donated proceeds of more than $6,600 over the past four years to charities that "speak to my heart." Even as a preschooler, Gabrielle loved to bake. A big fan of the Food Network, she was watching with her mother one day when her favorite TV chef talked about the importance of helping those in need. "I told my mom that when I grow up, I want to have a bakery where some of the money goes to different charities," she said. "My mom asked why I thought I needed to grow up before I started my business." That was the beginning of "Gabi's Goodies for Good."

With the help of her mother, Gabi decides what she will bake and what charity will benefit from her sales. She then posts on social media – sometimes with a video of her making the treat – and indicates how much is available. Since she started her business, she has donated funds to a girl with cerebral palsy who needed to travel away from home to have surgery, to veterans experiencing homelessness, to an organization that rescued animals during the California wildfires, and to help koala bears injured in Australia's wildfires. "I hope my business will continue for a long time because I love helping out the world," said Gabrielle, "especially when I'm doing something that is super fun!"

State Honorees in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Class of 2021 – the top middle level and high school volunteer from all 50 states and the District of Columbia – were selected for service initiatives completed, at least in part, between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. Selection was based on criteria including impact, effort, initiative and the personal growth demonstrated over the course of the project. Several Distinguished Finalists and runners-up were also selected in each state, and all qualifying applicants received President's Volunteer Service Awards. 

"It speaks volumes about the character of today's secondary school students that the Spirit of Community program heard from more than 21,000 applicants this fall – most of them stories of young volunteers overcoming the hardships of a global pandemic to support those in need," said Ronn Nozoe, Chief Executive Officer, NASSP. "While we're especially proud to celebrate this year's 102 State Honorees, NASSP applauds every student who's found a way to volunteer this past year. You inspire your peers and adults alike to remember that, even in times of crisis, we all have something to give."

To read the names and stories of all of this year's State Honorees, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.

About Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial wellness leader and premier active global investment manager, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential's diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential's iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com. 

About NASSP

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for principals and other school leaders across the United States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student's potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student. 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 Student Council. Learn more at http://nassp.org.

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