cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com BY CHELSEA JENSEN | WEST HAWAII TODAY ADVERTISING A Kealakehe High School student known for his volunteer work that reaches people far beyond Hawaii is headed to the nation’s capital for honors. Candonino “C.J.” Agusen, a 16-year-old junior at
BY CHELSEA JENSEN | WEST HAWAII TODAY
A Kealakehe High School student known for his volunteer work that reaches people far beyond Hawaii is headed to the nation’s capital for honors.
Candonino “C.J.” Agusen, a 16-year-old junior at the school, was recently named one of two top youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program that honors young people for their hard work and volunteerism, said Greg Loder, the award program’s executive director. Jackson Button, a 13-year-old Hawaii Technology Academy student, was also named a top youth.
The Kailua-Kona resident was honored for raising more than $64,000 to purchase 640 temporary housing kits for people displaced by the March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. When he saw the devastation, Agusen said he felt the urgency to volunteer.
“I have a pretty good life so I want to be able to give back to the community and world to share what I have with people who are less fortunate,” he said about his volunteer work, particularly the assistance to Japanese earthquake and tsunami victims.
As president of his school’s Interact Club, Agusen, has also been involved in many volunteer activities including several projects that sent care packages to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, now in its 17th year, is put on by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. It is a nationwide program that honors in each state one middle and one high school student for their volunteer work in an effort to inspire more youngsters to volunteer, Loder said.
“People who start volunteering at a young age tend to continue volunteer work throughout their life,” he said. “By recognizing, rewarding and encouraging the students who take the initiative and helping hold them up as a role model for other students, the hope is that others will follow in their steps.”
As a state honoree, Agusen will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where he will join Button and 101 others from around the nation. He will also get to tour the capital’s landmarks, attend an awards ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History and visit Hawaii’s congressional representatives.
“People will see these stories and be inspired to want to do something for their community,” Loder said. “It becomes an incentive for people who are not doing much volunteer work to get started.”
While in the capital, 10 of the top candidates will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2012, according to Prudential. Those honorees will receive $5,000, a gold medallion, a crystal trophy and a $5,000 grant to the nonprofit organization of their choice.
Should he take the honor, Agusen said he plans to donate the money to the Hawaii County Food Basket.
“There are a lot of people in Hawaii that don’t have full meals every day,” he said. “There are lots of kids that don’t get enough nutrition. There is a need.”
In addition to Agusen, Prudential also recognized Hawaii Preparatory Academy sophomore Scott Fetz, 16, for his community service work. He will receive an engraved bronze medallion.
Fetz, a Kailua-Kona resident, this year opened and managed a school store called the “Snack Shack” which offers affordable healthy snacks to students after school Monday through Thursday. The school store is not the first such venture for Fetz, who said he operated a small store between 2006 and 2008 while a student at Kealakehe Intermediate School. That store ended up raising $12,000 for school supplies, he said.
Fetz’s service to the community also includes volunteering at the Regency at Hualalai; Child and Family Services in Kealakekua; and the Jonathan Dale Miller Foundation, he said.
At HPA, Fetz said he is student ambassador; a member of the school’s Service Lending Advisory Council, which plans service projects for the school; and has helped implement various program such as eliminating plastic bottles on campus and Free Hugs February, which strives to promote unity, acceptance and love throughout the school while raising money for North Hawaii Hospice.
cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com
