[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 70 (Thursday, June 8, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4814-S4815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                 PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARDS

 Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I recently had the honor to serve 
as national co-chair, along with Senator Byron Dorgan, of the National 
Selection Committee for the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. This 
wonderful program, sponsored in partnership by The Prudential Insurance 
Company of America and the National Association of Secondary School 
Principals, recognizes outstanding young volunteers at the state and 
national level. Two state winners, one high school student and one 
middle school student, receive a $1,000 scholarship, a silver 
medallion, and a 4-day all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. for 
themselves and their parents.
  Chairing the National Selection Committee was both an eye-opening and 
a heart-warming experience. Reading about these young people's 
volunteer efforts, the remarkable sacrifices they made for the benefit 
of their communities, and the lessons they learned reaffirmed my faith 
in the generosity of the American spirit and in our future. I would 
like to commend Maine's two Spirit of Community award winners, Desirae 
Plourde of Fort Kent and Zachary Growe of Hampden, for being real 
American heroes.
  Desirae, a senior at Fort Kent Community High School, has spent over 
1,500 hours serving as a sign language interpreter for a hearing-
impaired classmate who plays on her school's basketball, baseball, and 
soccer teams. Desirae, the only other student who knows sign language, 
attended a game one day and noticed how her friend struggled to 
understand her coach and fellow players, and how frustrated the team 
became when trying to communicate. She offered to interpret for him so 
that he could continue to play sports, and the school could benefit 
from his athletic talent. ``I was inspired to help because I saw my 
friend was in need and how much he loved playing the game,'' Desirae 
said. ``I share in his joy when he makes a great play and when the team 
wins.''
  Zachary, an eighth grader at Reeds Brook Middle School in Hampden, 
helped coordinate a campaign that collected 800 used books for needy 
children. Zach says he enjoys reading so much that he can't imagine not 
owning a book. When his class decided to plan a service project, he 
pushed for a book drive. Zach and his fellow students wrote a plan and 
a time line, contacted school officials, designed promotional signs, 
and decorated book drop boxes. In the end, the drive yielded more than 
four times its original goal of 200 books. Zach and the group delivered 
the books to many area organizations including a local pediatric ward, 
and the local chapter of United Cerebral Palsy.
  I am very proud of Maine's two honorees, Desirae and Zach, and 
congratulate them for answering the call of service and making a real 
difference in their communities.
 Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I'd like to take a moment to tell 
you about some wonderful kids. Recently, two youth volunteers from each 
state, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, came to 
Washington, D.C. with their parents. They were being recognized at the 
Fifth Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for their 
outstanding acts of community service.
  These kids are heroes. They set the example of selflessness and 
caring for others to follow and it was truly inspiring to hear their 
stories of service to the public and their communities. I was honored 
to serve as co-chair of the National Selection Committee along with 
Senator Susan Collins.
  Ten students were chosen as National Honorees--five high school and 
five middle school students--and each received $5,000, a gold medallion 
and a crystal trophy for their school. The ten honorees will also have 
a total of $250,000 in toys and clothing dedicated to needy children in 
their names.
  I'd especially like to congratulate the two volunteers chosen as 
finalists from my state of North Dakota: Jason Koth of Grand Forks and 
Scot Miller of Fargo.
  Jason, a senior at Grand Forks Red River High School, wrote, produced 
and directed a play to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It 
was called ``The Sun in My Eyes'' and he wrote this play in memory of 
his handicapped brother. Jason said, ``I wanted to tell people to stop 
fighting over unimportant things and start opening their eyes to the 
beautiful people that surround them.'' His play raised over $1,300 for 
the foundation and helped send a terminally ill child on his dream trip 
to Disney World.
  Scot, a ninth grader at Discovery Junior High in Fargo, became 
involved in several volunteer projects to help his community. When he 
learned that the public library needed donations to complete its 
expansion plan, Scot led a recycling drive to raise money and created 
an ongoing recycling program in his neighborhood. He is also president 
of his school's Builder's Club, a student organization dedicated to 
promoting volunteer efforts within his community. During his summer 
months, Scot spends four hours a day volunteering as a junior 
recreation leader for the local parks department.

[[Page S4815]]

  I'm so proud of Jason and Scot. They should feel great pride for 
their hard work and the impact they have made in their communities and 
the lives of others. Their efforts are truly inspiring.
  Mr. President, Senator Collins and I would like to honor all 104 
Prudential Spirit of Community Honorees by reading their names in the 
Record.
  The ten students selected as National Honorees are:
  Linda Arnade, 17, of Palm Bay, Florida, who discovered that septic 
tanks in her community were causing groundwater contamination after 
testing more than 400 residential wells. She then launched an education 
and monitoring program to alert the public of this important health and 
environment risk.
  Brett Byrd, 13, of Camas, Washington, who helped raise more than 
$100,000 in his mother's memory for breast cancer prevention by 
performing concerts along with his brother and their rock band.
  Megan Doherty, 16, of Lemont, Illinois, who raised more than $56,000 
to bring 29 young cancer victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster 
to her town for life-saving medical treatment.
  Marcus Houston, 18 of Denver, Colorado, who developed an educational 
program called ``Just Say Know'' that teaches middle level students 
what it takes to achieve academic, social and athletic success in high 
school.
  Andrew Leary, 17, of Vernon, New Jersey, who led a two-and-a-half 
year effort to establish the first permanent soup kitchen in the 
northern part of his rural county. He also helped raise $35,000 to 
operate the facility.
  Joshua Marcus, 13, of Boca Raton, Florida, who created ``Sack It To 
You,'' a non-profit corporation that has provided backpacks filled with 
school supplies to more than 2,500 needy children.
  Jarrett Mynear, 11, of Nicholasville, Kentucky, who raised more than 
$18,000 to distribute new toys each week to young patients at a 
children's hospital. Since the program started, Jarrett has been 
featured on many local television shows, as well as the nationally 
syndicated ``Rosie O'Donnell Show,'' to promote his cause.
  Shelarese Ruffin, 17, of Atlanta, Georgia, who developed an 
intervention program that enables middle and high school students to 
confront and overcome drug abuse and other discipline problems instead 
of being expelled from school.
  Danielle Shimotakahara, 13, of North Bend, Oregon, who waged a high-
profile campaign to remove violent coin-operated games from places 
where children congregate in her town. She also testified at a U.S. 
Senate hearing on the effects of violent games on children.
  Sagen Woolery, 12, of Warner Robins, Georgia, who started a summer 
meal service called ``The Kid's Kitchen'' for needy children and their 
families. The service, operated completely by 8-to-12 year-olds, has 
served more than 3,200 people in her community and also provides 
toiletries and school supplies for needy children who come to the 
kitchen.

The state honorees are:
  Jose Alvarez--Puerto Rico.
  Sarah Anderson--South Dakota.
  Meredith Arensman--Kentucky.
  Linda Arnade--Florida.
  Sarah Austin--Maryland.
  Shannon Babb--Utah.
  Beau Ballinger--Wyoming.
  Jason Blau--Illinois.
  Katie Bolenbaugh--Minnesota.
  Milton Boyd--District of Columbia.
  Alsion Brown--Colorado.
  James Buck--Maryland.
  Sara Bulaga--Vermont.
  Brett Byrd--Washington.
  Kevin Cable--Tennessee.
  Jonathan Cheek--Virginia.
  Reid Coggins--South Carolina.
  John Coiner--West Virginia.
  Kendyl Collins--New Mexico.
  Dennis Cordova--New Mexico.
  Maria Cruz--Puerto Rico.
  Kalila Dalton--Kansas.
  Dana Davis--Tennessee.
  Danielle Devlin--New Jersey.
  Kimberly Dickard--Mississippi.
  Katherine Dillon--Kansas.
  Megan Doherty--Ilinois.
  Tanya Ewing--Alaska.
  Caroline Faflak--South Dakota.
  D. Ashley Feldman--Pennsylvania.
  Toni Fowler--Alabama.
  David Frayser--Nebraska.
  Shawn Garner--North Carolina.
  Christopher Gardner--Nevada.
  Benjamin Geisinger--Massachusetts.
  Tiffany Georges--Nebraska.
  Paul Gordon--Washington.
  Zachary Growe--Maine
  Aracely Gurrola--Arizona.
  Jesse Hanna--Montana.
  Brittany Heath--Texas.
  Robin Hill--Montana.
  Marcus Houston--Colorado.
  Jacob Kaskey--Ohio.
  Jason Koth--North Dakota.
  Amy Lavicky--Oklahoma.
  Andrew Leary--New Jersey.
  Christi Lockwood--Connecticut.
  Joshua Marcus--Florida.
  Natalie Mason--Indiana.
  Sarah McClintock--Wisconsin.
  Caithlin McGee--Delaware.
  Ann McGinnity--Wisconsin.
  Meghan McGinty--New York.
  Scot Miller--North Dakota.
  Shifra Mincer--New York.
  Elizabeth Moss--Nevada.
  Alison Mostrom--Iowa.
  Jarrett Mynear--Kentucky.
  Leanne Nakamura--Hawaii.
  Kendra Neilson--Oklahoma.
  Chavis Newman-Keane--Alaska.
  Matthew Nonnemacher--Pennsylvania.
  Blaire Nuzem--West Virginia.
  Ryan Olson--Virginia.
  Catherine Oswald--Rhode Island.
  Gustav Owen--New Hampshire.
  Jennifer Parker--Arkansas
  Monica Pasternak--Connecticut.
  Audrey Ells Payne--Vermont.
  Allan Peetz--Indiana.
  Michael Perez--Arkansas.
  Desirae Plourde--Maine.
  Taryn Pream--Minnesota.
  Jonathan Quarles--Michigan.
  Tiffany Ringold--Idaho.
  Stephanie Rochel--Massachusetts.
  Hannah Rogers--Alabama.
  Shelarese Ruffin--Georgia.
  Erica Rymer--South Carolina.
  Amy Schlueter--Missouri.
  Eleanor Sherman--California.
  Gregory Shilling--Louisiana.
  Danielle Shimotakahara--Oregon.
  Sandy Short--Idaho.
  Adam Smith--Louisiana.
  Jennifer Stanton--Oregon.
  Robyn Strumpf--California.
  Kristen Stryker--Ohio.
  Meredith Swain--North Carolina.
  Mackenzie Sweeney--Missouri.
  Matthew Ternus--Iowa.
  Daniel Tessier--Rhode Island.
  Jennifer Thornhill--Texas.
  Julia Tobias--New Hampshire.
  Lisa Torres--Wyoming.
  Ryan Tripp--Utah.
  Gopalkrishna Trivedi--Michigan.
  Paul Varnado--Mississippi.
  Lakeshia Wallace--District of Columbia
  Aubrie Weedling--Hawaii.
  Sagan Woolery--Georgia.
  Mia Yocopis--Arizona.
  Christopher Zeigler--Delaware

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