WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards has begun its 20^th annual search for Maine’s top youth volunteers. The program, which recognizes two students who have made meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service, will be soliciting applications from Maine residents in grades 5-12 until November 4, 2014. Students who are interested in applying or those seeking more information are encouraged to visit: http://spirit.prudential.com.

“For the past 20 years, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards has been honoring outstanding students from Maine and showcasing the meaningful impact they've made through community service and civic engagement,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “So many of Maine’s students are actively working to enrich their communities, and we strongly encourage any interested students to apply for this award and the experience that comes along with it.”

Maine's top middle level and high school youth volunteers for 2015 will be announced next February 10^th and brought to Washington May 2-5 for four days of special recognition events, along with the top two applicants from every other state and the District of Columbia. Winners from Maine last year included Sarah Caldwell of Falmouth and Brianna Jack of Baileyville who were honored in Washington, D.C. for their outstanding community service.

Established in 1995, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards has grown into the nation’s largest youth recognition program based entirely on community service.

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