FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE N.R. #137, 2/10/98
 

Date: February 10, 1998

Contact: Irene Cromer

703/791-8720
 

April Matthews, 14, a student at Potomac High School in Dumfries, has been selected as one of the nation's top youth volunteers in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. April was recognized for her work at the Prince William County Homeless Prevention Center. She was among 104 students, one middle-level and one high school student from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, honored for outstanding, self-initiated community service activities. Kerri Stephen, 14, also a Potomac student, was among 208 students named Distinguished Finalists. She was also selected for her work at the Homeless Prevention Center, located on Route One in Woodbridge.

More than 11,000 students were considered for awards in this year's program, which is sponsored by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

Each of the 104 State Honorees will receive $1,000, a silver medallion and a trip to Washington, D.C., in May for four days of national recognition events. America's top ten youth volunteers will be named at that time. The Distinguished Finalists will receive bronze medallions.

April sought to provide homeless children with much-needed support from formerly homeless children, like herself, through a support group called AfterShare Kids. With the help of Kerri, who she met during her stay at the Prince William County Homeless Prevention Center, April founded AfterShare Kids, a program that encourages kids to come back to the center to

share advice with its young residents. "We thought that the kids and teens who move out of the center could help the young people in their same age group by sharing a common experience," said April. AfterShare Kids debuted in October 1995 with just four members. Today, over 50 members participate in the program, which, because of April's involvement in a public awareness campaign on homelessness, has received community support and funding. April and other members of AfterShare Kids have received monetary awards for their volunteer efforts, which April has donated back to the program to help purchase computers. With these computers, AfterShare Kids are writing about their homeless experiences and compiling the stories into a book to help educate the public on the plight of the homeless. "I've learned that you can use something you think is a bad experience to help others in the same situation," said April.

The awards are part of a broad initiative by Prudential to encourage young people to become more involved in community service. As part of this initiative, Prudential has published a booklet, "Catch the Spirit," in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, offering information and ideas on how young people can help improve their communities. It is available free of charge by writing to the Consumer Information Center, Dept. 588C, Pueblo, Co 81009.

For more information about The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards and this year's honorees, visit Prudential's Internet site at http://www.prudential.com/community or NASSP's site at http://www.nassp.org:80/services.