Prudential Financial is accepting nominations through November 1 for its annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a program recognizing students in grades 5 through 12 for outstanding volunteer service. Awards are given at the local, state and national levels ranging up to $5,000.2011 honorees included a Rhode Island girl who turned 36,000 gallons of waste cooking oil into heating fuel for needy families; a high school senior from Utah who helped build a day care center for impoverished single mothers in Guatemala; and a 14-year-old from the Chicago suburbs who collected more than $14,000 worth of treats – including 600 pounds of Twinkies – for American troops in Afghanistan.
If you know of students in your area who deserve recognition for volunteer service, encourage them to apply online at http://spirit.prudential.com/. Applications must also be submitted to a middle or high school principal, county 4-H agent, Girl Scout council, American Red Cross chapter, YMCA or affiliate of the HandsOn Network, who must certify the application by 11:59 p.m. (CST) on November 8 at http://aim.applyists.net/.
Those without Internet access can get an application by calling 877.525.8491. Following the same deadline, paper applications must be certified and mailed by an aforementioned official to: Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, International Scholarship and Tuition Services, P.O. Box 23737, Nashville, TN 37202.