A 13-year old girl from Adair was one of two Iowa teens who received the 2012 Prudential “Spirit of Community” youth volunteer awards Monday night during its 17th annual State Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C. Hannah Jorgensen was honored for organizing a campaign to make personal care kits and sew pillowcases for families in transition from a local homeless shelter to more permanent quarters. The other Iowa honoree was 14-year old Kayla De Weerd, of Hull, who was honored for obtaining a $1,500 grant to pilot a nutrition and physical activity program at her junior high school and then gave presentations to educate others about how they could implement similar programs in their schools.

New York Giants quarterback and 2012 Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning congratulates Kayla De Weerd, 14, of Hull (center) and Hannah Jorgensen, 13, of Adair (right) on being named Iowa's top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

As State Honorees, Kayla and Hannah were among 102 top youth volunteers from across the country who received $1,000, engraved silver medallions, and all-expense-paid trips to Washington, D.C., this week for four days of recognition events. At last night’s ceremony, Kayla and Hannah were each personally congratulated for their outstanding volunteer service by New York Giants quarterback and 2012 Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, established in 1995 by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), represent the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. To learn more, visit http://spirit.prudential.com