[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 31 (Monday, February 23, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S2364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              RECOGNIZING KENTUCKY'S OUTSTANDING STUDENTS

 Mr. BUNNING. Madam President, I would like to congratulate 
several outstanding young people from the Commonwealth of Kentucky who 
have been selected as recipients of the 14th annual Prudential Spirit 
of the Community Award. These young people were selected from over 
20,000 nominees, and I would like to commend them on this wonderful 
achievement.
  The Prudential Spirit of the Community Award was created in 1995 by 
Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of 
Secondary School Principals. The awards are meant to impress upon all 
youth the value of community service and to recognize contributions 
made in this area. This year I am very proud that Kentucky has two 
State honorees and four distinguished finalists.
  The four distinguished finalists this year are Don Combs, Emily 
Goldstein, Arooshi Kumar, and Elizabeth Moore. Don is from Pikeville, 
KY, and was nominated by Pikeville High School because he started a 
recycling program that now encompasses all schools in Pike County. 
Emily Goldstein is a senior at Atherton High School in Louisville, and 
she volunteered over 1,000 hours of her time to help protect the 
environment. She started recycling programs at 12 local companies and 
donated the proceeds to the Louisville Zoo. Arooshi Kumar is also from 
Louisville and is completing her senior year at Dupont Manual High 
School. For her service project Arooshi raised nearly $5,000 to help 
establish schools for impoverished children in India. In order to raise 
this impressive sum Arooshi made and sold jewelry, cashmere stoles, and 
Indian tunics. Elizabeth Moore of Catlettsburg created a Spanish 
section in the Hatcher Elementary School library. Elizabeth chose this 
school because it has the largest number of Spanish-speaking students 
in her school district. Elizabeth is a senior at Fairview High School 
in Ashland, KY.
  The two State honorees from Kentucky are Jordan Campbell and Meg 
Olash. Jordan is a senior at Montgomery County High School and resides 
in Jeffersonville, KY. For his project, Jordan organized a student-run 
nonprofit theater company to help engage elementary students in the 
arts. His efforts resulted in 85 children and 15 teen directors putting 
on shows for the community that sold over 1,200 tickets. Meg is an 
eighth grade student at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School in 
Louisville. Meg helped refugees plant produce, which they in turn sold 
at a farmers market at her church. Meg, along with her fellow 
volunteers, also spent 3 days of the week playing with children at the 
local refugee community center.
  All of these young Kentuckians have my admiration, and I thank them 
for their service. They demonstrate that with hard work and 
perseverance all of us can make a difference in our communities and 
make them a better place to live.

                          ____________________