WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards has begun its 19^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 five through 12 until November 5, 2013. Students who are interested in applying or those seeking more information are encouraged to visit: http://spirit.prudential.com.

“The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards has been honoring outstanding students from Maine for 19 years, and what better way to promote the importance of civic engagement than to shine a spotlight on the tremendous impact that they have had through community service,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “With so many of Maine’s students finding new and creative ways to enrich their communities through volunteer activities, we strongly encourage interested students to apply for this wonderful opportunity.”

Maine's top middle level and high school youth volunteers for 2014 will be announced February 11^th and brought to Washington next May 3-6 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 Katherine Elliott of Scarborough and Marissa Bates of Westbrook 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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