NEWS
LAURIANNE MURPHY SELECTED IN 15th ANNUAL
NATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM
Laurianne Murphy, 13, of Lewiston was named one of Maine's top
two youth volunteers for 2010 by The Prudential Spirit of
Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for
outstanding acts of volunteerism. The awards program, now in its
15th year, is conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership
with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).
Laurianne was nominated by the Auburn-Lewiston YMCA in Auburn.
As a State Honoree, Laurianne will receive $1,000, an engraved
silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to
Washington, D.C., where she 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 2010 at that time.
Laurianne, an eighth-grader at Lewiston Middle School, spent
most of her free time last summer helping to take care of babies
and toddlers in the Nationally Accredited Childcare Center of
her local YMCA. Laurianne, whose mother works at the Y, has
spent a great deal of time there while growing up, and in recent
years, has particularly enjoyed watching childcare providers do
their jobs. “I love children and want to be a kindergarten
teacher when I graduate from college,” she said. After
completing a YMCA babysitting course and becoming certified as a
babysitter, Laurianne not only began visiting the Y’s childcare
center regularly, but took it upon herself to help out wherever
she could. Before long, she was doing almost everything the
adult caregivers were doing. She rocked and played with the
babies, cleaned them up after their snacks, and put them down
for naps. For the toddlers, she helped at mealtime, read
stories, assisted with art projects, and did her best to make
sure they were happy and having fun. “I think that my being
there made a difference in the children’s lives,” she said. “I
learned how important it is to be a positive role model for them
at such a young age.” Laurianne vows to continue volunteering at
the childcare center whenever her school is not in session.
While in Washington, D.C., the 102 State Honorees will tour the
capital’s landmarks, attend a gala awards ceremony at the
Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and visit
their congressional representatives on Capitol Hill. In
addition, 10 of them – five middle level and five high school
students – will be named National Honorees on May 3 by a
prestigious national selection committee. These honorees will
receive additional $5,000 awards, gold medallions, crystal
trophies, and $5,000 grants from The Prudential Foundation for
nonprofit, charitable organizations of their choice.
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