Chase Post, 17, of Signal Mountain and a junior at Signal Mountain Middle High School, was named a finalist for Tennessee's top youth volunteers by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism.
Katelyn Carpenter, 18, of Crossville and Lucy Blaylock, 10, of Gallatin on Tuesday were named Tennessee's top two youth volunteers of 2020. As state honorees, Katelyn and Lucy each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in early May 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 2020.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 25th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
These are Tennessee's top youth volunteers of 2020:
High School State Honoree: Katelyn Carpenter
Nominated by Cumberland County High School
Katelyn, a senior at Cumberland County High School, prepares care packages of canned and boxed meal items every weekend for more than 60 elementary school students who lack a reliable source of food at home. A few years ago, Katelyn ran into her former first-grade teacher, who was shopping for groceries for one of her students. The teacher told Katelyn that this was not uncommon; most elementary school teachers she knew had spent their own money to feed students. “I was shocked,” said Katelyn. “I had no idea that so many students in my community were affected by food scarcity.” After weeks of thinking about this and feeling guilty for enjoying dinner every night, she devised a plan to do something about it.
Katelyn asked the assistant principal of Martin Elementary School to estimate how many students didn’t have enough to eat at home, and upon hearing the answer, realized that she would need funding to address this need. So she made a presentation to her church’s finance committee, which agreed to contribute $1,500. She then had to figure out what food items would be the most nutritious and cost-effective, where to purchase them and how to package the items. She also placed donation bins in her church and gave congregation members lists of needed food products. Katelyn currently has more than 20 volunteers from her church helping her put together at least 55 care packages every week for Martin Elementary students. Katelyn’s church has since expanded its support for the school by providing classroom volunteers, sponsoring sports teams, and donating books and supplies.
Middle Level State Honoree: Lucy Blaylock
Nominated by Union Elementary School
Lucy, a fifth-grader at Union Elementary School, has made more than 375 hand-sewn “Love Blankets” for children around the world who, due to a variety of life challenges, need a little extra love. After learning to sew, Lucy made a blanket for a friend for Christmas. It made her feel so good when she delivered the gift, she said, “I thought it would be nice to give more kids blankets that would help them feel loved.”
With her mother’s assistance, Lucy asks people who visit her Instagram account to nominate a child who could benefit from one of her Love Blankets. “People nominate children for many different reasons,” she said. “Some are sick, have disabilities, have lost a parent or a sibling, are being bullied or are lonely.” When Lucy receives a nomination, she studies the child’s story and picks just the right fabric for his or her blanket, sews the pieces together, stitches on a little heart, and then sends it off. Many people have donated money to help Lucy pay for materials and shipping, and she sometimes gets help with the sewing from family members and other young people. Most of her blankets have been shipped to kids in more than 13 countries overseas, but Lucy also delivers some locally, including to students at her school. “It makes me happy to do something to make someone else feel happy and loved,” she said. “I think if we could all think of things we can do to be kind, the world would be a better place.”
Distinguished Finalists
The program judges also recognized six other Tennessee students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
These are Tennessee's Distinguished Finalists for 2020:
Forest Chen, 17, of Knoxville, Tn., a senior at Farragut High School, founded and runs the “East Tennessee Chess Club,” through which he holds regular tournaments, gives free chess lessons to young people at a local church, and has raised and donated more than $8,000 to benefit various causes. Forest, whose club now includes more than 100 members, was first inspired to start this initiative because of the lack of chess-related opportunities in his community.
Vivian Hurn, 17, of Southside, Tn., a senior at Montgomery Central High School, organized a blood drive at her high school that collected nearly 80 units of blood from 105 donors; her efforts included coordinating with the Red Cross, recruiting volunteers, creating a volunteer schedule, making posters and registering donors. Vivian was inspired to focus on this initiative by her mother, who has always encouraged her to donate blood because of their universal blood types.
Margo Leskinen, 18, of Murfreesboro, Tn., a senior at Oakland High School, worked with a friend to start “Swim Angels,” a nonprofit that has offered free swimming lessons to 30 kids in their community; her efforts included becoming certified in CPR and first aid, raising funds to secure pool time, promoting the initiative, and teaching classes throughout the summer. Swim Angels also partnered with the local parks and recreation department to expand the program and secure free pool time.
Logan O'Neal, 18, of Jefferson City, Tn., a senior at L&N STEM Academy, serves as the captain of his school’s robotics team, STEMpunks, coordinating more than 30 STEM-related outreach events; his efforts include recruiting 40 additional volunteers, coordinating with STEM teachers from interested schools and organizing the events themselves. Logan has also worked to expand his team’s outreach to include participants from both urban and rural communities.
Chase Post, 17, of Signal Mountain and a junior at Signal Mountain Middle High School, organized a recycling effort at his high school’s home football games; for each event, he recruited volunteers, set out recycling cans and continuously sorted recyclable materials throughout the evening. Chase, whose team collected about a dozen bags of recyclables each game, first started this initiative as a member of his school’s service-oriented Leo Club.
Carlee Sullins, 17, of Elizabethton, Tn., a senior at Elizabethton High School, regularly participates in and raises money for the National Kidney Foundation’s annual walk; her efforts include recruiting and organizing a walk team, designing and selling shirts, spreading awareness about the walk’s cause and soliciting donations outside of a local business. Carlee was inspired to participate in this activity by her own experience with a rare kidney disease.
“In our 25th year of honoring young volunteers, we are as inspired as ever by the work students are doing to address the needs of a changing world,” said Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “We hope that their resolve, their initiative and their perspectives on society’s challenges move others to consider how they can make a difference, too.”
“Middle level and high school students are doing remarkable things to shape the future of their communities through volunteer service. They inspire all students and schools to drive learning with real-world challenges,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “Congratulations to each of the 2020 honorees – it’s an honor to celebrate your commitment to creating positive change.”