Anja Whitehead, 17, of Susquehanna County, a senior at Blue Ridge High School, has been honored for her exemplary volunteer service with a President’s Volunteer Service Award.

The award, which recognizes Americans of all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of their time to serve their communities and their country, was granted by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program on behalf of President Barack Obama. Blue Ridge nominated Anja for national honors this fall in recognition of her volunteer service.

Anja single handedly organized ‘Childhood Cancer Awareness Week’ at our school. She designed, assembled and distributed ribbons and sold them as a fundraiser. She capped the week off by cutting her hair (very short) and donating all monies raised to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Anja also established a Bullying Awareness Campaign at Blue Ridge, showing a bullying video each morning during announcements and also passed out ribbons to boost awareness among her peers. ‘A Day Without Shoes’, started by TOM’S Shoe Company, was another project that Anja brought to our school. Anja spoke to her peers over the intercom system about children with no shoes and many of her peers joined her in wearing flip-flops to emphasize the dangers of not wearing proper shoes.

Outside of school Anja is very involved in her church, babysits in her community, and is always eager to participate in community projects. Anja is very aware of the need to research causes and educate her community whether at school or in her neighborhood.

Matthew Nebzydoski, Secondary Principal stated, “I am very excited for Anja to receive this honor. She has always shown a strong sense of community and empathy for others. Blue Ridge is very proud of her!”

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), recognizes middle level and high school students across America for outstanding volunteer service.

“The recipients of these awards demonstrate that young people across America are making remarkable contributions to the health and vitality of their communities,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial. “By recognizing these students and placing a spotlight on their volunteer activities, we hope to motivate others to consider how they can also contribute to their community.”

"Demonstrating civic responsibility through volunteerism is an important part of life," said NASSP Executive Director JoAnn Bartoletti. "These honorees practice a lesson we hope all young people, as well as adults, will emulate."  

Prudential Spirit of Community Award applications were distributed nationwide last September through middle level and high schools, Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and HandsOn Network affiliates. These schools and officially-designated local organizations nominated Local Honorees, whose applications were advanced for state-level judging. In addition to granting President’s Volunteer Service Awards on behalf of President Barack Obama, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards selected State Honorees, Distinguished Finalists and Certificate of Excellence recipients. Volunteer activities were judged on criteria including personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and national voice for middle level and high school principals, assistant principals, and all school leaders from across the United States and more than 36 countries around the world. The association connects and engages school leaders through advocacy, research, education, and student programs. NASSP advocates on behalf of all school leaders to ensure the success of each student and strengthens school leadership practices through the design and delivery of high quality professional learning experiences. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Association of Student Councils.