Wouldn’t you agree that it should be everyone’s mission to teach young people about the positive impact their volunteering can have on the world? The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards has teamed up with 4 The Love of Animals to inform readers about the great work a special young hero has done to help protect the wildlife.
What is The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, exactly? Created 16 years ago, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represent the United States ’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service, recognizing young heroes who have made exceptional impacts on the lives of others. Each year, two honorees from each state receive $1,000 dollars, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for several days of national recognition events. Support from parents, family, friends and communities show the young heroes the great impact that they are making is being cheered on and recognized. It is truly inspiring! While in D.C., ten of the lucky students will be named National Honorees on May 2rd, receiving an additional $5,000, gold medallions, trophies, and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for a charitable organization of their choice.
This year, several of these student volunteers were named State Honorees for their work protecting the environment and wildlife. Today, I want to introduce you to one of these special volunteers, Natalie Mohr.
Natalie Mohr, 17, of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, a senior at Kealakehe High School, has been a key volunteer for the past six years at an exotic wildlife sanctuary, where she takes care of injured animals, assists with surgical procedures, and educates others about endangered species. Natalie, who says she is fascinated by animals, learned about volunteer opportunities at the Three Ring Ranch sanctuary while attending a science-based charter school. “It immediately sparked my interest,” she said, so she signed up for a 10-week after-school mentoring program to learn basic wildlife care. The more she learned, the more she wanted to volunteer. “Creating awareness about how to protect Hawaii’s endangered wildlife is imperative,” Natalie said. “Seventy-five percent of all species extinctions in the United States have occurred in Hawaii, and 90 percent of native plants and animals in Hawaii exist nowhere else in the world.”
During her years at the sanctuary, Natalie has personally cared for and rehabilitated hundreds of injured animals before releasing them back into the wild. She has helped veterinarians administer anesthesia, pin broken legs, suture wounds, and administer post-surgical medications and care. And she has recruited and mentored other volunteers, participated in community outreach programs, and helped build a hands-on science center at the sanctuary. When the director of the sanctuary needed surgery last year, Natalie took charge, temporarily living at the facility to carry out the day-to-day operations. Recently, she helped create a mobile veterinary clinic to spay/neuter and vaccinate feral cats and domestic cats of low-income pet owners to keep them from overpopulating and harming Hawaii’s endangered wildlife. After college, “I plan to return to Hawaii as a veterinarian to continue caring for Hawaii’s endangered wildlife, protecting and preserving them for future generations,” she said.
More information, including all volunteer projects, can be found by visiting http://spirit.prudential.com.
And to watch the naming of America’s top ten youth volunteers on May 2nd, secure your spot here to watch the live webcast ceremony event: www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=78271
