Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Ganther, Parthasarathy, Witkiewicz, Bradley, Cullen, Harman, Marshall, Rabadan, Lowrey. Bartoletti
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 2/12/2020
Chili Youth Named Finalist (Ganther – 4 February 2020)
Kylie Ganther
A young lady from Chili has been recognized for her volunteering efforts to support the arts in Clark County,.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. The top Wisconsin youth volunteers were recognized in a Madison ceremony Feb. 4. Judges named two Wisconsin State Honorees and six Distinguished Finalists. Each Distinguished Finalist received an engraved bronze medallion.
Kylie Ganther, 18, of Chili, is one of the Distinguished Finalists. A senior at Granton High School, Ganther regularly volunteers her time with the nonprofit Clark County Cultural Art Center (CART). She helped renovate an abandoned church into an art center and helps host events, teach youth enrichment classes and complete community art projects.
This year’s State Honorees are Shruti Parthasarathy 17, of Middleton and Elsa Witkiewicz, 13, of Trevor. Besides Ganther, the other Distinguished Finalists are Dylan Bradley, 18, of Mequon; James Cullen, 17, Kewaunee; Bethany Harman, 17, of Dodgeville; Erin Marshall, 18, of Oak Creek; and Aime Rabadan, 18, of North Fond du Lac.
Now in its 25th year, the awards program is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
“In our 25th year of honoring young volunteers, we are as inspired as ever by the work students are doing to address the needs of a changing world,” said Charles Lowrey, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial, Inc. “We hope that their resolve, their initiative and their perspectives on society’s challenges move others to consider how they can make a difference, too.”
“Middle level and high school students are doing remarkable things to shape the future of their communities through volunteer service. They inspire all students and schools to drive learning with real-world challenges,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “Congratulations to each of the 2020 honorees – it’s an honor to celebrate your commitment to creating positive change.”
About the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States’ largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. All public and private middle level and high schools in the country, as well as Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and Points of Light Global Network members, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award. These local honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth.
Since the program began in 1995, more than 130,000 young volunteers have been honored at the local, state and national level. The program also is conducted by Prudential subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, India, China and Brazil. In addition to granting its own awards, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program also distributes President’s Volunteer Service Awards to qualifying local honorees.
For information on all of this year’s Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visit www.spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.
