Siegel Garners President's Volunteer Service Award
Natasha Siegel, a Huntington High School senior, has been chosen as a recipient of the President's Volunteer Service Award through the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. The honor recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered a significant amount of time serving their communities and country.
Prudential presented the award to Ms. Siegel on behalf of President Barack Obama. The teenager is a member of a select group of seniors across the country to be honored.
Kitty R. Klein, the Huntington School District's director of guidance and testing services called the award a "terrific honor." Prudential's program was spurred by a desire "to recognize young people who are making a difference in their community."
"The recipients of these awards vividly demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities," said John R. Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. "In recognizing these students and placing a spotlight on their volunteer service activities, we hope to motivate others to consider how they can also contribute to their community."
According to the program's website, "the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States' largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. The program was created in 1995 by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals to honor middle level and high school students for outstanding service to others at the local, state, and national level."
As an honoree, Ms. Siegel is in select company. "The young people recognized by the Spirit of Community Awards demonstrate an enormous capacity for giving and reaching out to those in need," said Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "NASSP is proud to honor them as they are wonderful examples of the high caliber of young people in our nation's schools today."