Two Kansas youth honored for volunteerism at national award ceremony in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kansas' top two youth volunteers of 2018, Maureen Botros, 18 and Kyler Stockstill, 14, both of Wichita, were honored in the nation's capital last night for their outstanding volunteer service during the 23rd annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Maureen and Kyler – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – each received $1,000 awards and personal congratulations from Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion Lindsey Vonn 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 Maureen and Kyler Kansas' 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.

Maureen, a member of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland and a home-schooled senior, founded a series of weeklong technology camps to promote the idea that girls can succeed in STEM fields without sacrificing their femininity. "My passion is to address the gender gap in STEM through the development of new strategies to advance women's empowerment and combat patriarchal norms that too often try to prevent women from realizing their potential," said Maureen.

A few years ago, she set out to combat childhood obesity by inventing a wearable device called the "Illumi-cize," which measures heart rate and displays the results via colored lights on fashion accessories including hair bows, necklaces, belts, tutus and T-shirts. Her technology camps give middle and high school girls the opportunity to design and construct their own creative versions of the Illumi-cize. They learn to sew with conductive thread, solder wires and LED lights, and ultimately code a microchip to power their chosen accessories, ranging from suspenders to purses to scarves. Each "Catwalk Coding" camp culminates in a runway fashion show and a reception attended by campers' families and accomplished local women in STEM careers. Approximately 25 girls have participated in each of Maureen's six camps in the U.S.; an additional 100 girls took part in a Mexico City camp conducted by Maureen last November.

Kyler, an eighth-grader at Hadley Middle School, serves the homeless and hungry in his community and elsewhere, working side by side with his parents and members of his church. Kyler said his parents, both of whom are teachers, have inspired him to help others. "I am adopted and my parents are white and I am Hispanic," he said. "This is something I struggle with sometimes as I feel different from my family. When I can serve other people, it makes me realize how blessed I am that I was adopted into this family."

After hearing his pastor talk about a mission trip to build a house in Mexico for a family in need, Kyler knew he wanted to be a part of it. With his father and others, Kyler spent three days framing the dwelling, mixing stucco, and doing other construction tasks. "The house that the family lived in before was made of pallets and cardboard," he said. "We were able to create a safe house for them and I was impressed with their sincere appreciation." Kyler also volunteered last summer with his mother at a local food bank, where he helped unload trucks filled with food and moved new cans onto shelves, serving as many as 100 families a day. With his church youth group, he also periodically serves meals at a soup kitchen and last year during spring break went on a mission trip with members of his church to serve the homeless in Kansas City.

"These honorees exemplify something we've known for a long time – that young volunteers have the power to bring meaningful change to their communities," said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. "These students have shown leadership and determination well beyond their years, and it's a privilege to celebrate their service."

"Through their acts of service, these honorees drive home a powerful lesson for their peers: that one student really can make a difference," said Daniel P. Kelley, president of NASSP. "We are honored to shine a spotlight on the compassion, drive and ingenuity of each of these young volunteers."

Youth volunteers in grades 5-12 were invited to apply for 2018 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards last fall through schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn Network. More than 29,000 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 23 years, the program has honored more than 120,000 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 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 www.nassp.org.

About Prudential Financial

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: 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 pictures of the Spirit of Community Awards program logo and medallions, visit  https://spirit.prudential.com/resources/media.

For B-roll of Kansas' honorees at the 2018 national recognition events, contact Prudential's Harold Banks at (973) 216-4833 or [email protected].

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SOURCE Prudential Financial, Inc.