"Andrew Hayford, 17, and Carly Osgood, 13, both of Cape Neddick, today were named Maine's top two youth volunteers for 2012 by The Prudential"

Sun Herald "As State Honorees, Andrew and Carly each will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will join the top two honorees from each of the other states and the District of Columbia for several days of national recognition events. Ten of them will be named America’s top youth volunteers for 2012 at that time." via Prudential Financial

'Andrew, a senior at York High School, developed an education program to teach elementary school children about ocean pollution, and has mobilized more than 600 local residents to participate in annual beach cleanup events. Andrew spends a great deal of time at the beach – surfing, long-boarding and swimming – and is concerned about the cleanliness of the ocean. “Garbage in our water is unsafe for humans and hazardous to marine life,” he said. “It degrades into smaller pieces and is ingested by animals and humans.” Inspired by the beach cleanups his older sister had organized when he was younger, Andrew felt he, too, should take the lead in working on clean water initiatives.

'Carly, an eighth-grader at York Middle School, is an active volunteer who has worked with children as a mentor and camp counselor, helped grow fresh produce for food pantries, and served her community in several other ways. Carly, who said that she loves working with kids, volunteers after school as a helper for a local elementary classroom, and spent her past two summers as a volunteer counselor for a group of 13 girls for the Girl Scouts’ Camp Scelkit. “I found that being myself every day and putting my all into camp and the kids gave rewards that were beyond my imagination,” she said.