Patsy T. Mink: “I wish to congratulate four remarkable young women from Hawaii: Lauren Noelani Calhoun, age 16, of Kapaa on the island…”

“I wish to congratulate four remarkable young women from Hawaii: Lauren Noelani Calhoun, age 16, of Kapaa on the island of Kauai; Celinda Stanton, age 11, of Waimanalo on the island of Oahu; Tessa Munekiyo of Wailuku on the island of Maui, and Kauilani Ostrem of Kaawa on the island of Oahu. Lauren and Celinda are Hawaii's top two youth volunteers for the year 2001 in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. They have each been awarded an engraved silver medallion, a $1,000 award, and a trip to Washington, DC for the program's national recognition event. Hawaii's Distinguished Finalists--Tessa and Kauilani--have been awarded engraved bronze medallions. Lauren Noelani Calhoun, a junior at Kauai High School, led an effort to establish a homework and learning center for children at a local family abuse shelter. As a volunteer at the shelter, Lauren was disturbed by its often hectic conditions and wondered how the children who stayed there managed to do their schoolwork. She approached the shelter's director with a plan to convert a storage area into a quiet room for the kids to do their homework. After the plan was approved by the director and the shelter's board, Lauren contacted businesses and organizations for donations. She surpassed her goal and raised over $1,500 in addition to many in-kind donations.”