WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Pryor and John Boozman today met with Tiffany Easter of Sheridan and Blake Abston of Little Rock, who were recently named Arkansas’s top two youth volunteers of 2013 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

“Tiffany and Blake’s work has made a lasting difference not only in Arkansas, but around the nation and the world,” Pryor said. “I hope they’ll continue to be public stewards for our state, and share this dedication and commitment with their classmates.”

“Tiffany and Blake’s hard work, dedication and passion for helping people in the community is something we can all be proud of,” Boozman said. “I congratulate these young Arkansans for their commitment to making the world a better place.”

Tiffany Easter, a senior at Sheridan High School, was nominated for her efforts to free women and children being held in “Trokosi” slavery in Ghana, West Africa. Blake Abston, an eight-grade student at Pulaski Heights Middle School, helped build raised-bed gardens at a local children’s shelter.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards partners with the National Association of Secondary School Principals to honor two students from each state—one middle school and one high school—for their volunteer service. Honorees receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to tour landmarks, meet top volunteers, attend an awards ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of National History, and visit with their congressional representatives.