Prudential Helps Build Communities

Prudential volunteers teamed up with Citizen Schools New Jersey for Global Volunteer Day on Saturday, October 6, 2012. They painted, they planted, they cleaned and they're part of a movement to make Newark a better place for kids to learn and grow... Prudential is a long  time partner of Citizen Schools New Jersey. They've invested deeply in the Citizen Schools mission to provide opportunities to under-served youth. In addition to teaching an apprenticeship every semester, they've gone one step further by creating the Prudential Citizen Schools Success Academy.

Every year, a group of volunteers from Prudential pair up with a group of Citizen Schools 6th graders to begin a three year mentoring program that carries them all the way through the Citizen Schools experience. By building a deep connection with their students, the volunteer mentors have played a vital role in the development of Newark's future.

Prudential and Citizen Schools team up outside of the classroom too. As part of Prudential's Global Volunteer Day-- which engages their employees in one day of service all over the world-- 50 Prudential volunteers teamed up with Citizen Schools to make the Louise A. Spencer and Eagle Academy schools a better place for kids to learn.

"Prudential employees' dedication to helping their neighbors is demonstrated by the many things they do year round," said Lata Reddy, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at Prudential and president of The Prudential Foundation. "Global Volunteer Day provides employees the opportunity to continue to make a positive impact in communities around the globe on the same day."

Along with the Citizen Schools staff, ten students and the principal and assistant principal of Louise A. Spencer, the team repainted the school's courtyard, re-potted plants, cleaned and decorated classrooms and strengthened the partnership between the school and the community.

"The students I worked with during Global Volunteer Day were really excited. They were so happy to see their principal, the Prudential staff and Citizen Schools working together. I would like to thank all of the people at Prudential for their continued support of Citizen Schools. As always, I was impressed with how quickly their staff volunteers jumped in to help, no questions asked," said Anastasia Savastinuk, Citizen Schools staffer and Global Volunteer Day helper.

Thanks to partners like Prudential, Citizen Schools New Jersey is reshaping education for Newark's kids. When schools, students and the community come together, great things happens. We have proof.

As we move into the Thanksgiving season we celebrate our partners like Prudential, who support Citizen Schools in so many ways. Thank you for your service to our schools, students and community.