The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards have been given out since 1995 to honor those who volunteer in their communities.And this weekend, one area student will be making her way to Washington D.C. as one of those honorees.Fox Mankato's Ryan Gustafson has the story.Haley Sass spent last summer reading to schoolchildren in her hometown of Frost, two days a week.While she did it as a volunteer, the work did not go unnoticed.Mike Van Binsbergen says, "We recognize that the future of this nation lies in the hands of our young people, and want to give special recognition to those individuals that we feel did an outstanding job in their community."Across the country, a middle schooler and a high schooler from each state were selected by Prudential for their service to their communities, all of whom will gather in Washington D.C. this weekend for the national awards.And of course, her parents couldn't be happier."We're very proud. Very proud, extremely proud. It's cool. It's an honor."And it's from her parents that she developed her knack for volunteering.Glen and Kim Sass say, "He's on the Frost fire department, ambulance and we help around the community as much as we can. Yeah, we just like to be active, it's good."And for Haley, she's found an activity that gives back to the community, and brings her enjoyment at the same time.Haley Sass says, "Reading is my favorite subject and I'm really good at it. It's fun."Along with the medal she received at today's ceremony, Haley was awarded a one thousand dollar prize.She leaves for Washington D.C. tomorrow, and is eligible for a national prize of five thousand dollars, and a chance to give a five thousand dollar grant to a nonprofit, charitable organization of her choice.In Blue Earth, Ryan Gustafson, The Fox Mankato News at Nine.