Do you have student volunteers who are active in the community 100 or more hours? We think so, and that is why we encourage them to seek recognition and apply for The Presidential Award! Below, we have outlined everything you need to know about the award to share with your student volunteers!
What is the President's Volunteer Service Award?
- “The President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes United States citizens and lawfully admitted, permanent residents of the United States who have achieved the required number of hours of service over a 12-month time period or cumulative hours over the course of a lifetime.” (presidentialserviceawards.gov)
What are the benefits of receiving the award?
- Recipients of the Presidential Award stand out among their peers. Students can include this award on their college and scholarship applications and their resume.
- Students who share among their peers how the have impacted the community and volunteered inspire others to also take action!
- Students demonstrate their commitment, maturity and showcase how they also strive to grow as individuals.
How can students apply for the award?
- Track your service hours with x2VOL, then
- Set-up a profile in the PSVA site and enter your hours
- Submit a record of service to a registered certifying organization, which will verify your hours. If the organization you worked with is not an approved certifying organization, invite them to apply here.
Tracking Hours Toward the Award:
While the PVSA website does not track service hours, x2VOL does! Whether it's a graduation requirement or something admins encourage of their students, students can use x2VOL to track hours toward The President's Volunteer Service Award. In x2VOL, admins can set up custom goals for students, so they can track hours directly toward the award and see the impact they have on their community.
If your school doesn't have x2VOL, no problem! You can get an individual x2VOL+ account for $12 per year to track your service hours.
What is the criteria for the award?
- Individuals, families and groups that meet the criteria are eligible for the PVSA.
- Recipient(s) must be a United States citizen or a lawfully admitted permanent resident of the United States.
- Awards are issued for service hours served within a 12-month time period or over the course of a lifetime.
- Awards are issued for volunteer service only; additional levels of participation with the organization (i.e., charitable support) are not a factor considered for the award.
- Court-ordered community service does not qualify for the award.
- Awards are issued by approved Certifying Organizations.
- Service must be with an approved Certifying Organization that is legally established in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. territories.
- Service must be with an approved Certifying Organization that is legally established in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. territories.
Need more info on the Presidential Service Award? Visit their official page here: http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/
If you are interested in an app for tracking community service or learning more about x2VOL, please contact us today! We would love to hear about your service program and how x2VOL can help you go digital with managing and tracking student service hours!
