HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla, – Ruby Tilghman, 16, of Panama City and Sheldon Fouché, 13, of Tampa today were named Florida’s 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, Ruby and Sheldon 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 Florida’s top youth volunteers of 2021:
High School State Honoree: Ruby Tilghman
Nominated by North Bay Haven Charter Academy
Ruby, a junior at North Bay Haven Charter Academy, has raised more than $20,000 to fund public school music programs by organizing concerts featuring young musicians. “I discovered my love for music in my elementary school music program,” said Ruby. “But not all schools have music programs. I wanted to give every student in my reach the same opportunity that I had to pursue an interest in fine arts.” So four years ago, she began hosting recitals and caroling nights to give young students a chance to perform in public. Then she decided she wanted to raise money to provide grants for music-related needs at public schools.
To accomplish both objectives, Ruby created a nonprofit organization called “Many Mini Musicians” and started planning community fundraising concerts. She picks the venues, recruits performers, provides equipment, arranges for food vendors, works with community leaders, and advertises the events through her website. Her concerts so far have given more than 40 young musicians a year the opportunity to showcase their talents, and have paid for musical instruments, sheet music, books and other resources at schools in her area. Ruby also helped fund a music room at a local library, authored a children’s book titled “Ruby’s Recital,” and organized a virtual concert featuring young musicians across the country after the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Middle Level State Honoree: Sheldon Fouché
Nominated by Walker Middle Magnet School
Sheldon, a seventh-grader at Walker Middle Magnet School, works alongside his brother and two cousins to contribute to a different charity each month through their “Kids 4 A Cause” nonprofit organization, which so far has raised more than $30,000 to support 21 local and three overseas organizations. Sheldon’s uncle died of a massive heart attack in 2017. “This had a huge impact on my family,” he said. “We received such overwhelming support from the community; I realized first-hand just how important it was to help people when they are suffering.”
Sheldon and his partners started by making soaps in his kitchen, and in a few weeks sold enough to provide thousands of meals for the hungry. This inspired them to set a goal of raising at least $1,000 a month to support a charity or cause that benefits local residents. Money is raised by making and selling a variety of homemade products such as organic soaps and essential oils, and by soliciting donations on the boys’ website. Sheldon is actively involved in making the products, promoting them through news and social media and public speaking, and standing on the sidewalk to sell them. He also helps select the causes that benefited from Kids 4 A Cause donations each month. Just since the COVID-19 pandemic began, his team’s activities have included delivering carloads of food and essentials for the homeless, collaborating with a local restaurant to provide meals to first responders, purchasing school supplies for at-risk students, and raising funds for wounded warriors.
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.”