Thompson High School junior Grant Atkinson is a distinguished finalist in the 2009 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, which honors outstanding youth volunteers.

Atkinson will be presented with an engraved bronze medallion during a Court of Honor at Helena United Methodist Church July 28 at 7 p.m.

Atkinson raised more than $6,000 for a stone foundation he plans to build to support a statue at Cheaha State Park. The statue will commemorate the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in building the state and national park systems.

All middle and high schools in the U.S., along with all Girl Scout councils, 4-H organizations, Red Cross chapters, YMCAs and affiliates of HandsOn Network, were eligible to select a student or member for a local Prudential Spirit of Community Award in November.

More than 5,000 local honorees were reviewed by state-level judges, who selected two honorees from each state and the District of Columbia, as well as a select number of finalists based on personal initiative, creativity, effort, impact and personal growth.

The program is sponsored in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, which encourages young people to become involved in community service.

For more information about the program and this year’s finalists, visit the Web site spirit.prudential.com or principals.org/prudential.