Students honored for outstanding volunteerism

Zachary Librizzi, 17, of Warwick, and Sarah Coutu, 12, of Pawtucket, have been named Rhode Island’s top youth volunteers of 2016 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
The nationwide program honors young people for their outstanding acts of volunteerism.
Coutu is a sixth-grader at St. Cecilia School. Librizzi is a senior at St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket.
Librizzi helped his family raise more than $1 million for diabetes research through an annual charity golf tournament, and generated an additional $75,000 on his own by leading a team in a fundraising walk. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a baby, Librizzi’s parents responded to his struggles by organizing a golf tournament to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
“There might not be a cure just yet, but many advances have taken place over the years and have helped thousands of people with diabetes live their lives a little easier,” he said.
Coutu makes and sells a variety of craft items to buy supplies for animals at four privately funded no-kill shelters.
“I’ve always had a special passion for animals,” Coutu said. “It’s so sad going into shelters and seeing so many animals who are homeless and alone in the world.”
As state honorees, the pair will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., for several days of national recognition events. During the trip, 10 of the state honorees will be named America’s top youth volunteers of 2016.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, conducted by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, represent the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. All middle and high schools in the U.S., along with all Girl Scout councils, county 4-H organizations, Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local award last November.
Two state honorees – one middle and one high school student – plus a select number of finalists from each state and the District of Columbia were chosen based on criteria such as personal initiative, effort, impact and personal growth.
Distinguished finalists in Rhode Island include Zach Ribas, 17, a junior at South Kingstown High School and Robbie Thorp, 18, a senior at Cumberland High School.
Ribas, a volunteer emergency services provider for South County Hospital and Charlestown Ambulance Rescue, helped raised $4,500 to support programs, transport patients and respond to calls. Thorp, who has epilepsy, helped raise $10,000 to support epilepsy research as co-chair of the R.I. Walk for Epilepsy since 2013.
For more information, visit http://spirit.prudential.com.

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