McLean, Virginia (February 19, 2005)--Alison Goulder, a 14-year old from Scottsdale, Arizona, has chosen to donate money she was awarded as a Prudential Spirit of the Community honoree to help the children of deployed National Guard and Reserve personnel through the Our Military Kids organization. Alison is one of two Arizona teenagers chosen as state honorees. Over 20,000 middle school and high school students applied to this year’s program.

"It's really impressive to see this much selflessness at such a young age," said Linda Davidson, Executive Director of Our Military Kids, a nonprofit organization created to ensure that the children of deployed Reserve and National Guard soldiers can afford to participate in activities such as youth sports, fine arts and tutoring programs. "Alison's desire is to see her $1,000 prize money go to help minimize the sacrifices of families left behind while parents are sacrificing so much to serve our country. There’s no doubt that she possesses a strength of character and capacity for giving that’s not often seen in people of any age."

It was Alison's concern for children that began the chain of events that would lead to her award. An avid Beanie Baby collector since age seven, Alison heard that soldiers had requested these small stuffed toys be included in care packages that were being shipped by the D.C. law firm, Greenberg Traurig. The idea was to pass the Beanie Babies along to the children they come across during their patrols in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not only did she donate her entire collection to this effort, she spearheaded a collection drive that extended to school districts across Arizona. She went on to seek and receive contributions from the manufacturer of Beanie Babies and ultimately collected over 28,000 toys for donation.

In addition to the $1,000 that she has pledged to Our Military Kids, Alison will receive an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. next May.