Talcott Mountain Academy Student Wins Volunteer Award

Talcott Mountain Academy of Science, Mathematics & Technology eighth grade student and Torrington resident, Anishka Perera, 13, was selected as Connecticut’s top middle school youth volunteer of 2019 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards -- a nationwide program honoring young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Perera was awarded the prize for helping pediatric oncology patients in Sri Lanka.

As a State Honoree, Perera will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where he and Connecticut’s top high school volunteer, Nicholas Wesloskie, of Coventry, will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for four days of national recognition events. During the trip, 10 students will be named America's top youth volunteers of 2019. Perera is one of 102 honorees being considered for the top award.

Perera collected supplies to make 150 entertainment packages to brighten the days of children undergoing treatment for cancer in a Sri Lankan hospital. During a 2016 visit to Sri Lanka, where his parents were born, Perera visited a government-run hospital that provides free care for the country's poor. In the children's ward, he noticed that there weren't many things to keep young patients entertained during long hospital stays. "I was saddened to see children waiting around for their treatment without much to occupy them," said Perera.

When he returned home, Perera began asking friends and acquaintances for donations of items such as coloring books, crayons, pencils, puzzles, board games and Play-Doh. Once the donations started coming in, Perera categorized them by age level and started assembling his packages with the help of volunteers. Last August, he shipped the packages to Sri Lanka and then traveled again to the cancer hospital to distribute them. When he returned home, he posted a video on his website to update the more than 100 donors and volunteers who had participated in his project. Perera said he plans on delivering more entertainment packages and would like to take on more projects to help sick children in Sri Lanka. "Certain things we consider to be basic things are luxuries for others," said Perera. "Some of these kids had never even owned a pack of crayons!"

“Anishka is extremely humble and he doesn’t want any accolades for his work. It’s a selfless act and he’s doing it because he believes that it needs to be done. As a 13-year-old, that’s remarkable,” says Jennifer Travers, Assistant Dean at Talcott Mountain Academy. Travers nominated Perera for the award.

"These young volunteers learned and demonstrated that they can make meaningful contributions to individuals and communities through their service," said Prudential CEO Charles Lowrey. "It's an honor to recognize their great work, and we hope that shining a spotlight on their service inspires others to consider how they might make a difference."

About Talcott Mountain Academy

Talcott Mountain Academy in Avon, Connecticut, is an independent school for intellectually excited students K-8. Founded in 1983 as a division of the Talcott Mountain Science Center, the Academy is a unique on-site learning laboratory that nurtures children’s innate abilities from an early age. www.talcottacademy.org

About The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards represents the United States' largest youth recognition program based solely on volunteer service. All public and private middle level and high schools in the country, as well as all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, American Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of Points of Light's HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award. These Local Honorees were then reviewed by an independent judging panel, which selected State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists based on criteria including personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth.

For information on all of this year's Prudential Spirit of Community State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, visit http://spirit.prudential.com or www.nassp.org/spirit.