(HELENA)--Iko'Tsimiskimaki Beck, 16, of Missoula and Emily Jones, 13, of Stevensville today were named Montana's top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Iko'Tsimiskimaki (“Ekoo”) was nominated by Hellgate High School in Missoula, and Emily was nominated by the Ravalli County 4-H in Hamilton. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, now in its 17th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

 

Ekoo, a junior at Hellgate High School, developed a program to prevent bullying and reduce prejudice among students through training workshops and after-school clubs at high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. “Bullying, racist comments, sexist comments, and overall prejudicial actions run rampant in schools throughout Montana,” said Ekoo, who is part Native American. “I know how it feels. I am, and have often been, the target of those prejudicial comments.”

 

In the fall of 2010, Ekoo decided to take matters into her own hands. She applied for and won a $10,000 grant from America’s Promise Alliance and AT&T, and then partnered with a local chapter of the National Coalition Building Institute to create structured educational experiences for students of all ages. Ekoo said that the goal is to “provide kids with the skills to change a potentially violent situation, and the information to understand oppression and the roots of violence in their local and global communities.” Her program, called “Inspire to Lead,” includes peer-led training workshops for all freshmen at two local high schools, after-school “Respect Clubs” at three middle schools, and a pilot teaching project at an elementary school. So far, Ekoo’s program has involved hundreds of community and peer leaders, and has impacted more than 800 students in Missoula.

 

Emily, a member of the Ravalli County 4-H and an eighth-grader at Ravalli Classical Academy, works with an organization that prepares and serves a free dinner every week to encourage families in her town to come and eat together. Emily, who loves to cook, became involved with Community Cooking Connections (CCC) two years ago when a friend invited her to what she thought was a cooking class. “It turned out to be so much more,” Emily said. “CCC brings families together for meal time so that moms and dads can spend time with their kids discussing their day and enjoying each other’s company.”

 

Every Friday, Emily volunteers for four hours after school to help cook and serve a healthy three-course dinner for anyone in the community who wishes to come. “We try to include an assortment of meals that are cultural, like French crepes, Indian briana, German beef stroganoff and many others,” said Emily. As a junior chef, she is also responsible for designing a menu. On the night her German beef stroganoff was served, 76 community members showed up for dinner. Chefs also are expected to make presentations during dinner, explaining why they chose a particular food and offering cooking tips. An enthusiastic advocate for the program, Emily has convinced four friends to don aprons and pitch in. “Many teens today spend around 15-20 minutes at dinner, ignoring their parents while texting their friends,” Emily said. “Community Cooking Connections brings families and family mealtime to the center stage.”

 

As State Honorees, Ekoo and Emily each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2012 at that time.

 

Distinguished Finalists

 

In addition, the program judges recognized two other Montana students as Distinguished Finalists for their impressive community service activities. Each will receive an engraved bronze medallion:

 

Alekses Clifton, 18, of Great Falls, Mont., a senior at Great Falls High School, created and coordinated the building of The Bison Pantry, a food bank at her school for students from low-income families. Alekses raised more than $2,500 through grants and individual donations, and coordinated a group of senior class volunteers to help build and stock the shelves.

 

Josephine Lange, 13, of Corvallis, Mont., a seventh-grader at Corvallis Middle School, attends a weekly cooking class called “Community Cooking Connections,” where she cooks and serves meals to the hungry in her community. Josephine is also an active member of her 4-H club and helps with various fundraisers and projects.

 

“Through their selfless acts of service, these award recipients have greatly improved the lives of others,” said Prudential Chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. “We hope their stories and their dedication inspire other young people to do the same.”

 

"We are so pleased to celebrate these student volunteers,” said JoAnn Bartoletti, executive director of NASSP. “It’s important to highlight them as powerful examples of how young people can make a difference."