JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Grace McAllister, 15, of
Nettleton and Jameshia Attaway, 14, of Indianola today were named
Mississippi's top two youth volunteers of 2018 by The Prudential
Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people
for outstanding acts of volunteerism. As State Honorees, Grace and
Jameshia each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an
all-expense-paid trip in late April to Washington, D.C., where they
will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the
District of Columbia for four days of national recognition events.
During the trip, 10 students will be named America's top youth
volunteers of 2018.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 23rd year, is
conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National
Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
These are Mississippi's top youth volunteers of 2018:
High School State Honoree: Grace McAllister Nominated by Monroe County
4-H in Aberdeen
Grace, a freshman at Nettleton High School, has collected and donated
more than 1,000 new stuffed animals to comfort children traumatized by
sexual abuse and let them know that they are not alone. Grace knows
firsthand the immeasurable pain of being abused by a person she
trusted. "Being a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of my own
father, the one person who should protect me, not hurt me, I decided I
wanted to help other victims," Grace said.
Grace was abused from the age of 6 until, at 10 years old, she found
the courage to tell her stepmother what was happening. What followed
were months of interviews, counselors, lawyer visits, court
appearances and the disbelief of some family members, she said. She
felt nobody understood. So, Grace created a YouTube video to tell her
story and encourage others to "break the silence." It's been viewed
more than 40,000 times. She then contacted a local Family Resource
Center with a proposal to provide stuffed animals to young abuse
victims. She held collection drives through her Facebook page, raffled
off a huge teddy bear to raise money, and partnered with local
businesses to collect stuffed animals. She also started an
"ambassador" program to encourage children in other states to collect
stuffed animals for their local resource centers. "I have gained the
knowledge that I am a survivor, not a victim," said Grace. "I have
seen that small tokens of love and hope can make a difference. I have
gained back myself from volunteering."
Middle Level State Honoree: Jameshia Attaway Nominated by Girl Scouts
Heart of The South in Memphis
Jameshia, an eighth-grader at St. Joseph High School, supplies five
schools in her area with personal hygiene items that she collects for
students who have a need for them during the school day. An avid
volunteer whose role model is her mother, Jameshia was inspired to
start her project after hearing a girl in her school restroom say she
needed a sanitary napkin. "She was embarrassed to walk out of the
restroom," said Jameshia. "Seeing young girls the same age as me
having to leave school because they don't have sanitary napkins, or a
child being picked on because they smell, made me sad. I promised
myself that if I ever got enough money, I would place personal hygiene
products in schools within my area."
So, after getting permission from the school district and arranging
for staff members to assist her, she began raising money and
collecting donations by competing in pageants, speaking to civic
organizations, soliciting businesses, and applying for grants. Within
three months, she had supplied five schools with personal hygiene
items such as soap, towels, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes and
sanitary napkins. She recruited two students at each school to stock
the items and notify her when supplies run low. "Students don't have
to leave school or call home if they need something," she said. "They
can stay in class and learn."
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized four other Mississippi students as
Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service
activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Mississippi's Distinguished Finalists for 2018:
Mae Holyoak, 15, of Natchez, Miss., a freshman at Cathedral School,
has helped to raise more than $70,000 for the Natchez-Adams County
Humane Society over the past 10 years by selling lemonade, baked
goods, crafts and sponsored T-shirts through her annual "Mae and
Friends' Lemonade Stand." Mae, whose efforts began at 5 years old as a
fundraiser to buy a $50 pet bed, also volunteers with her friends at
the animal shelter.
Madison Ray, 18, of Ackerman, Miss., a senior at Choctaw County High
School, has spent the past four years providing essential hands-on
support to a local dog shelter, from cleaning out pens to
awareness-raising to helping with repairs. Madison was moved to help
the understaffed shelter by the stray dogs she'd seen in her town, and
has persuaded peers to volunteer at the shelter, too; her efforts have
helped to restore the health of and find homes for numerous abandoned
dogs.
Sarah Tidwell, 17, of Watervalley, Miss., a senior at Lafayette High
School, has traveled across Mississippi, raising awareness about the
dangers of caffeine overdose and persuading state and local officials
to support legislation prohibiting the sale of caffeine pills and
powders to minors. Sarah, who worked with the family of the boy the
law was named for, chose the issue as her pageant platform after
seeing her peers drinking and taking the same caffeine substances as
he did.
John Wilkinson, 13, of Oxford, Miss., an eighth-grader at Oxford
Middle School, was one of the first students to volunteer with his
school's inaugural peer tutoring program, where his responsibilities
have ranged from understanding different learning styles and making
study skills videos to teaching English to students learning it as a
second language. Since it started last school year, John has supported
the program as it's grown to help 50-100 students a month.
"Prudential is proud to recognize these remarkable young people for
using their energy, creativity and compassion to bring meaningful
change to their communities," said Prudential Chairman and CEO John
Strangfeld. "We hope their stories inspire others to consider how they
can do the same."
"These middle level and high school students have not only improved
the lives of the people and communities they've served - they also set
an important example for their peers," said JoAnn Bartoletti,
executive director of NASSP. "These honorees prove that you're never
too young to make a difference."