Exton resident Praneeth Alla, a junior at the Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, was honored for his volunteerism at the 23rd annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in Washington, D.C.

During the event at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Alla received a $1,000 award and personal congratulations from Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals. The program named Alla as Pennsylvania’s top high school volunteer in February. In addition to the cash award, Alla and other top youth volunteers nationwide received an engraved silver medallion and a four-day trip with a parent to Washington, D.C.

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“These honorees exemplify something we’ve known for a long time: that young volunteers have the power to bring meaningful change to their communities,” said John Strangfeld, chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial.

Alla spent more than 1,500 hours creating a product for a nonprofit benefiting rural villages in India, improving its ability to collect and manage donations, publicize projects, and track income and expenditures. He also founded a network of youth clubs to raise money to improve the education of children in India.

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