FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2009
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Nestlé Names Best In Youth: Teen Winners Recognized in Nationwide Competition
Winners of 2009 Nestlé Very Best In Youth Contest Honored for Excellence in Community Service
(GLENDALE, Calif.) – April 28, 2009 – After a nationwide search spanning nearly a thousand entries, Nestlé USA is proud to announce the winners of the 2009 Nestlé Very Best In Youth competition. Hailing from 18 states, each winner represents a driving force for change in their local community and wins a donation of $1,000 to the charity of their choice.
Honoring young people between the ages of 13 to 18 for achievements in local community service and academic excellence, the biennial Nestlé Very Best In Youth competition is now in its twelfth year. Created by Nestlé USA to spotlight the best in youth leadership, the program identifies teens whose efforts are making a profound impact in lives other than their own.
Winning entries for the 2009 Nestlé Very Best In Youth awards demonstrate a growing awareness of local entrepreneurship and community spirit. Honorees for 2009 impressed the judging panel with their leadership of diverse projects, including environmental initiatives and youth mentorship programs for at-risk inner city teens. From young directors and founders of local non-profits to those balancing school and community life with serious health problems, each teen honoree is a passionate advocate for positive change every day in their local community.
Joining the ranks of more than 185 past award recipients, the 24 honorees will each receive a four-day trip to Los Angeles for an awards ceremony in July 2009, and a donation of $1,000 to the charity of their choice. The winners will also be featured in the 2009 Nestlé Very Best In Youth book, a publication available in the summer of 2009 with complimentary distribution to schools and libraries nationwide.
Nestlé’s judging panel looked for a combination of academic achievement and special contributions to school, church or community groups from entrants. Following a call for entries in Spring 2009, the panel reviewed hundreds of letters of recommendation for applicants nationwide before naming this year’s honorees.
“Each of our 24 honorees has truly made a profound difference in their local community, and we are proud to recognize their accomplishments” said Ken Bentley, Vice President of Community Affairs/Educational Programs at Nestlé USA. “These winners reflect not only the best in youth, but set an example for us all of how to change and improve the lives of those around us. We at Nestlé are excited to play a part in getting each of these local movers and shakers the resources they need to continue making that change.”
With representation from 18 states across the nation, the 2009 Nestlé Very Best In Youth winners truly characterize the very best in America. Nestlé USA is honored to support America’s youth by recognizing the following individuals:
Dylan Conn, Grayslake, IL – age 16
Dylan sits on the Board of Directors of the Missouri March of Dimes and has raised $2,000 for the organization. His volunteer work with the March of Dimes has inspired Dylan, who plans to attend medical school.
David Dalrymple, Cambridge, MA – age 17
David is working on his doctoral thesis about a new model of computation to challenge the von Neumann model; has raised over $4,300 for the Multiple Sclerosis Read-A-Thon; and visits local retirement home residents weekly.
Marlena Dobbs, Fairburn, GA – age 17
Marlena has volunteered at the Harland Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, where she taught inner city girls about positive behaviors; and volunteered at the Northlake Gardens, an assistant living center, where she worked with elderly suffering from dementia.
Brantley Gunn, Brandon, MS – age 17
Brantley is a founder of a non-profit, Students Aiding Indigent Families, which purchases abandoned and dilapidated houses, recruits students to repair and remodel them, and empowers urban, single mothers to take ownership of the homes. He is also a missionary to China, Africa, and Poland.
Michelle Hague, Spring, TX – age 18
Michelle created TMAD (Teens Making a Difference), to help communities devastated by Hurricane Ike. She plans to pursue a nursing degree and a Masters in Science of Nursing to become a neonatal nurse practitioner.
Sejal Hathi, Fremont, CA – age 17
Sejal founded the international nonprofit, Girls Helping Girls, to empower all girls to assert their voice and to work towards social change. Facing her own challenges, Sejal has overcome serious medical issues.
Carrine Johnson, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA – age 16
Carrine founded Girls 2, a club that allows high school girls to meet with women engineers. She enjoys math and science and would like to become a mechanical engineer.
Jillian Madrid, Mission Viejo, CA – age 17
Jillian launched a non-profit organization, Angels on the Move (AOTM), to assist in generating donations for needy kids in the community. Previously diagnosed with a painful medical condition, Jillian is committed to helping others.
Karoline McMullen, Chesterland, OH – age 17
Karoline authored the book, Where Did They Go? A community’s struggle to preserve the native Ohio brook trout, to help students learn about the native coldwater ecosystems in the community. She is also the co-leader of Children’s Chapel, a program for preschool children.
Melissa Monette, Mililani, HI – age 16
Melissa is an accomplished violinist, tennis player, and honor student as well as creator of Harvest for Many, a program helping senior citizens get food. She is also a director of her brother’s program Kids Helping Kids with Diabetes.
Michelle Ruiz, Doral, FL – age 16
Michelle organized Friends Through the Arts, a program that helps children and teens express their feelings and emotions through the arts. In addition, she is passionate about the environment, launching an environmental initiative BAG IT, and helping to organize and run ERASE, an organization committed to erasing carbon footprints.
Jourdan Urbach, Rosyln Heights, NY – age 16
Jourdan is an accomplished concert violinist and aspiring neuroscientist as well as the founder and director of Children Helping Children, an organization whose mission is to help raise money for neurological research and healthcare. To date, the organization has raised over $1.4 million.
Raven Asay, Las Vegas, NV – age 14
Raven has authored and co-authored over 12 books dealing with issues she faced while living in foster care. 1,500 copies of her book “Court Talk,” have been made available to state orphanage, school library, and Department of Child and Family Services.
Mackenzie Bearup, Alpharetta, GA –age 15
Despite suffering with a painful neurological disorder, Mackenzie started a book drive to help severely abused children and donated over 22,000 books to the library of a local residential treatment center. Mackenzie also plays the harp with an orchestra.
Govil Gupta (aka Aishvarya Gupta), Irvine, CA – age 15
Govil developed a non-profit organization online Wonder Writers (www.wonderwriters.com) to encourage young writers and give them a place to publish their work. As part of this organization, Govil organized a writing contest receiving over 200 entries and raising money for local charities.
Talia Leman, Waukee, IA – age 13
Talia is the founder of a non-profit organization, RandomKid, which empowers kids to fund actual solutions for real world problems. To date, the organization has raised over $350,000 for child-benefactors, both locally and internationally.
Alexander Lin, Westerly, RI – age 15
Alexander is the leader of Westerly Innovations Network, a community service group which provides assistance with Meals on Wheels, raises awareness about spaying and neutering pets, rabies prevention, and electronic waste.
Dylan Mahalingam, Derry, NH – age 13
Dylan is the founder of non-profit organization called Lil’MDGS, whose mission is to educate, inspire, and empower children to help solve serious local and global issues. So far, the organization has helped raise $780,000 for tsunami relief and over 10,000 million for hurricane relief.
Arthur Nguyen, St. Paul, MN – age 15
Arthur created the St. Paul Project Homeless, to raise awareness of the homeless issue. In three short months the project raised $21,000 to help feed the homeless in the city.
Gary Oster, Fairfield, CT – age 15
Gary organized a toy drive for children of local hospitals and was selected as Young Explorer by National Geographic Kids. After his trip to South Africa, Gary collected school supplies, sports equipment and clothes to send to two schools in Zimbabwe.
Elissa Redmiles, Kensington, MD – age 14
Elissa started a non-profit foundation, Baby Blanket Project, to help mothers and babies with essentials (baby blankets, bib, book, and a pair of sox, toiletries, care card, and a stuffed animal). The project raised over $10,000 and has donated over 500 packages to moms.
Olivia Stinson, Charlotte, NC – age 15
Olivia has been inducted into the National Society of Gifted and Talented. In addition, Olivia volunteered with the PEN Pals Book Club (Peers Engaged and Networking) - a program that provides books for children of incarcerated parents.
Katherine Stone, Fort Walton Beach, FL – age 14
Katherine volunteers at SOCKS, Save our Cats and Kittens Shelter and is the founder and organizer of Kat Klassic. In addition, Katherine organized Relay for Life and Locks of Love in honor of her mother.
Carly Zalenski, Canton, OH – age 15
Carly was featured in August 2008 issue of Reader’s Digest “Make It Matter” section and awarded $100,000 in her name to The League - an organization that teaches young to give time and talent to make the world a better place.
Note to Editors
For more information on how to obtain copies of the Nestlé Very Best In Youth book, contact Nestlé USA, Community Affairs, 800 North Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203 or go to www.verybestinyouth.nestleusa.com. To schedule an interview with any of the 24 honorees, please contact Nicola Piggott at (818) 549-5835 or Cristina Bastida (818) 549-6727
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