April 25, 2008
Contributed by Thomas Yoshida
The 17-year-old Kamehameha student heads to Washington, D.C. next week to join the honorees from each state and the District of Columbia – one middle school student and one high school student – for a gala awards ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Of the 102 recipients, 10 will be recognized as America's top youth volunteers. The festivities are scheduled on May 3-6, 2008.
For the past seven years, Ho has dedicated a significant amount of time as a Special Olympics volunteer. Ho's mother serves as vice president of Special Olympics Hawai'i and Ho's father participates in the organization as a weightlifting coach. She credits her parents for inspiring her to get involved.
"I've always been passionate about helping people with special needs and disabilities and helping them to accomplish things that others believe they are not capable of," said Jacqueline Ho, senior at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. "Working with Special Olympics made me the type of person who stands up for others that are unable to stand up for themselves."
Hawai'i's Megan Nakahara, an eighth-grader at Hawai'i Preparatory Academy, garnered honors as the state's top middle school volunteer of the year. She played a key role in a monitoring project that collected data on Hawaiian green sea turtles and raised awareness about the plight of the endangered species.
Ho and Nakahara each won $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to the award festivities in Washington, D.C.
For a complete listing of this year's honorees and more information on the awards, visit www.prudential.com/spirit.
Kamehameha Schools is a private, educational, charitable trust founded and endowed by the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Kamehameha Schools operates a statewide educational system enrolling more than 6,700 students of Hawaiian ancestry at K-12 campuses on O'ahu, Maui and Hawai'i and 31 preschool sites statewide. Thousands of additional Hawaiian learners are served each year through a range of other Kamehameha Schools' outreach programs, community collaborations and financial aid opportunities in Hawaiÿi and across the continental United States.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
