Westerville Central High School (WCHS) Senior Emily Enyame recently received notification that she is a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award from The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, which recognizes middle and high school students for outstanding volunteer service.
Nominees are evaluated for the award based upon several factors, including initiative, effort, impact, and personal growth. While the honor focuses on volunteerism, Enyame’s performance in the classroom also has earned her academic honors each year of her middle and high school career.
“Emily has spent countless hours volunteering in our community and makes Warhawk Nation a better place,” said WCH Principal Tom Lanier.
The Prudential Spirit of Community initiative conducted a study among 1,200 teenagers in the United States to better understand the motivators and differences between youth volunteers and non-volunteers. Ninety percent of teens surveyed indicated that they feel good about themselves when they volunteer. Study participants also reported that volunteering makes them feel as though they have made a difference in someone’s life (79 percent), that they are needed (59 percent), that they are happier and less stressed (59 percent), that their self-esteem and confidence is higher (54 percent), that they feel more connected to people (54 percent), and that they feel valued (52 percent).
Created in 1995 by Prudential and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the Spirit of Community Awards program has recognized more than 130,000 young people who have made a difference and inspired countless others to consider how they might contribute to their communities. The program also honors youth volunteers in other countries where Prudential has a significant presence: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, India, China and Brazil.