<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1612900920080.jpeg" alt="Anne Wasinger" />
 <figcaption>Anne Wasinger</figcaption>
 </figure>Anne Wasinger, 18, of Hays and Jonah Stein, 12, of Leawood this week were named Kansas' top youth volunteers of 2021 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, America's largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer service.As State Honorees, Anne and Jonah will each receive a $2,500
 scholarship, a silver medallion and an invitation to the program's 
virtual national recognition celebration in April, where 10 of the 102 
State Honorees will be named America's top youth volunteers of the year.
 Those 10 National Honorees will earn an additional $5,000 scholarship, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their nominating organization and a $5,000 grant for a nonprofit charitable organization of their choice.The
 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted annually by Prudential
 Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary 
School Principals (NASSP), honors students in grades 5-12 for making 
meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service."We
 created the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards 26 years ago to 
highlight and support the work of young people taking on the challenges 
of a changing world — a mission that rings truer than ever given the 
events of last year," said Charles Lowrey, Prudential's chairman and CEO.
 "We are proud to celebrate the vision and determination of Spirit of 
Community's Class of 2021, and all the ways they're making their 
communities safer, healthier and more equitable places to live."These are Kansas' top youth volunteers of 2021:High School State Honoree: Anne Wasinger Nominated by Thomas More Prep-Marian Jr/Sr High SchoolAnne,
 a senior at Thomas More Prep Marian High School, founded and directs an
 annual theatre camp for adults with developmental disabilities, an 
intensive five-day experience that culminates in a performance for the 
community. When Anne has 3 years old, she began performing in her local 
community theatre along with family members. But one member of her 
family wasn't able to participate. "My big brother, Joel, has cerebral 
palsy and due to inaccessibility, he could never perform with me," Anne 
said. However, the theatre moved to a new facility in the summer of 2018
 and built wheelchair-accessible ramps and bathrooms. That spurred Anne,
 who believes that the "limitless" benefits of theatre should be 
available to all, to start "Center Stage Theatre Camp" to give people 
with disabilities a chance to learn theatre techniques, gain confidence,
 express themselves and showcase their talents.After several 
proposals and meetings, Anne partnered with the local theatre to cover 
costs and provide rehearsal space. She then persuaded a large local 
church to host the group's post-camp performance; selected skits, songs,
 and dances to teach the performers; purchased scripts; spread the word 
among agencies that work with people with disabilities; and recruited 
volunteers to help. Despite some funding setbacks early on and now the 
challenges presented by COVID-19, Anne has persevered and thus far has 
conducted two camps involving a total of 50 "campers" and 40 volunteers.
 She estimates that over 200 members of her community have turned out to
 watch their shows.Middle Level State Honoree: Jonah Stein Nominated by Leawood Middle SchoolJonah, a seventh-grader at Leawood Middle School, has raised more than $18,000
 to provide bags of food for people in need in his community by making 
and selling beaded necklaces for COVID-19 face masks. A few years ago, 
Jonah and his family attended his great-grandmother's funeral in Minnesota.
 "When we were leaving the synagogue, there were bags with food and 
essentials for people to take and keep in their cars to give to needy 
people on the streets," Jonah said. He thought this was an "incredible" 
idea and shared it with the local Jewish Family Services agency where he
 has volunteered. "They were excited by the idea," Jonah said, and soon 
the organization was providing its own "care bags" containing food, 
other essential items and a list of helpful resources.In order to
 raise money to support this program, Jonah came up with the idea of 
selling a face mask accessory. "I saw that people had no place to put 
their masks when they weren't wearing them, especially while eating," 
said Jonah. With help from his family, Jonah researched and developed a 
necklace that attaches to face masks so they can be pulled down 
conveniently when not in use. He got beads, equipment and advice from a 
local bead-seller, built up an inventory of different necklace styles, 
created a website to market his "MASKerAIDs," and conducted media 
interviews. "I was amazed at how quickly things took off," he said. He 
surpassed his initial fundraising goal in one weekend, and continues to 
donate 100 percent of his sales to the food pantry.State Honorees
 in The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards Class of 2021 – the top 
middle level and high school volunteer from all 50 states and the District of Columbia
 – were selected for service initiatives completed, at least in part, 
between the fall of 2019 and the fall of 2020. Selection was based on 
criteria including impact, effort, initiative and the personal growth 
demonstrated over the course of the project. Several Distinguished 
Finalists and runners-up were also selected in each state, and all 
qualifying applicants received President's Volunteer Service Awards."It
 speaks volumes about the character of today's secondary school students
 that the Spirit of Community program heard from more than 21,000 
applicants this fall – most of them stories of young volunteers 
overcoming the hardships of a global pandemic to support those in need,"
 said Ronn Nozoe, Chief Executive Officer, NASSP.
 "While we're especially proud to celebrate this year's 102 State 
Honorees, NASSP applauds every student who's found a way to volunteer 
this past year. You inspire your peers and adults alike to remember 
that, even in times of crisis, we all have something to give."—&nbsp;PRNewswire —

TMP-M senior earns volunteer honor from Prudential