ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 77
BY REPRESENTATIVES SEABAUGH, BAGLEY, CARMODY, CARPENTER, STEVE
CARTER, DAVIS, EDMONDS, HODGES, JAMES, JENKINS, JORDAN, MACK,
MARCELLE, POPE, SCHEXNAYDER, SMITH, AND TURNER
A RESOLUTION
To commend the 2019 Prudential Spirit of Community Award winners.
WHEREAS, presented by Prudential Financial, Incorporated, in partnership with the
National Association of Secondary School principals, the Prudential Spirit of Community
Awards acknowledge middle and high school students across America who have
demonstrated exemplary volunteerism and an extraordinary commitment to their
communities; the criteria for the award are volunteer service, personal initiative, effort,
impact, and personal growth; and
WHEREAS, in their twenty-fourth year, the awards recognize students in grades five
through twelve; one middle school and one high school student from each state, plus a select
number of distinguished finalists, were chosen for the 2019 Prudential Spirit of Community
Awards; and
WHEREAS, named one of Louisiana's top volunteers, thirteen-year-old Nikki Leali
of New Orleans attends Ursuline Academy and has been volunteering since she was six
years old; she has always loved books and her service focuses on literacy and reading; Nikki
established a reading partner program whereby middle school students who excel at reading
pair with younger students to work on reading comprehension; Nikki was a 2018 Prudential
Spirit of Community Award distinguished finalist and this year she is a state honoree; and
WHEREAS, Kate Walker, a fifteen-year-old Ruston sophomore at Cedar Creek
School, is a 2019 state honoree; she was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia (FA), an
incredibly rare neuro-muscular disease that affects only fifteen thousand people globally; she
created an FA advocacy group called "Make It Happen" and made profiles on Facebook,
Instagram, and YouTube and, with help from her family and friends, Kate has raised $70,000
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for the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, an organization dedicated to the pursuit of
scientific research leading to treatments and a cure for FA; and
WHEREAS, Hailey Enamorado, a fifteen-year-old sophomore at Denham Springs
High School, was named a 2019 distinguished finalist; she created "Hailey's Heroes", an
initiative that raised funds and provided volunteer support for veterans and active-duty
military members; she also brought awareness to causes such as pediatric cancer and
remediation after flooding in her hometown; and
WHEREAS, Julianna Gouthiere, twelve, of Shreveport, a sixth-grader at Youree
Drive Middle School, was also named a distinguished finalist; she has collected and donated
more than fifteen thousand stuffed animals for children in difficult situations through her
nonprofit, "Bear Share"; inspired by the story of a fireman giving her mother a bear at the
scene of an accident when she was a child, Julianna has worked with local businesses to
deliver plush friends to hospitals, nonprofit organizations, police, and firefighters in the U.S.
and internationally; and
WHEREAS, Myracle Lewis, seventeen, a senior at Baton Rouge Magnet High
School, volunteers with Women of Color and 100% Virtuous Women, helping the homeless
population in the greater Baton Rouge area; she helps organize food, clothing, and other
basic necessities donated by local businesses and residents and shares the donations with
individuals in need; and
WHEREAS, Grace Sun is a seventeen-year-old junior at Caddo Parish Magnet High
School and was named a distinguished finalist for founding "Spread the Success", rallying
more than eighty peers to help tutor forty elementary and middle school students at an
after-school program and to serve dinner and read books with children at a local homeless
shelter; and
WHEREAS, the success of the state of Louisiana, the strength of our communities,
and the overall vitality of American society depend upon the dedication of individuals like
Hailey Enamorado, Juliana Gouthiere, Nikki Leali, Myracle Lewis, Grace Sun, and Kate
Walker who use their considerable talents and resources to serve others.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend and congratulate the students chosen as the
state honorees and distinguished finalists in Louisiana for the 2019 Prudential Spirit of
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Community Awards; does hereby recognize their outstanding records of volunteer service,
peer leadership, and community spirit; and does hereby extend to them best wishes for
continued success and happiness in their future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Hailey Enamorado, Julianna Gouthiere, Nikki Leali, Myracle Lewis, Grace Sun, and Kate
Walker.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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