Two Arkansas youth honored for volunteerism at national award ceremony in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Arkansas’ top two youth volunteers of 2019, Anna Claire Hay, 16, of Springdale and Taci Humphries, 12, of Ash Flat, were honored in the nation’s capital last night for their outstanding volunteer service during the 24th annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Anna Claire and Taci – along with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country – received a $1,000 award and personal congratulations from award-winning actress Viola Davis at an award ceremony and gala dinner reception held at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), named Anna Claire and Taci Arkansas’ top high school and middle level youth volunteers in February. In addition to their cash awards, they each received an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent to Washington, D.C., for four days of recognition events. Anna Claire, a sophomore at Shiloh Christian School, started "Teens with Integrity," a campaign in her state to help young people find volunteer opportunities they are passionate about, and that can help them cultivate character-building qualities to make it easier to weather their own challenges. It all started when she was 11. Anna Claire’s grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease and was being cared for in a nursing home. "Watching my grandmother’s memory start to wane was both heartbreaking and compelling," said Anna Claire. "It became my mission to learn all I could from her life story." As she spent more time with her grandmother, she realized there were many other Alzheimer’s patients who rarely had visitors and whose stories would soon be lost. Anna Claire secured a sponsorship from a local business to provide cookies and […]

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