Presidential Volunteer Service Award

National Center for Chaplain Development has been given the authority to administer the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards to its volunteers.

To earn a President's Volunteer Service Award, individuals, families and groups must keep a record of their activities and hours of volunteer service. They can track their hours in a journal at home, on-line through the USA Freedom Corps Record of Service, or through another system that is recommended by their Certifying Organization. Each individual, family, or group then submits its record of service to National Center for Chaplain Development.

National Center for Chaplain Development's role in this program is to:

• Verify that the volunteer(s) has completed the number of service hours required to earn a Presidential Volunteer Service Award
• Nominate verified volunteers by completing and submitting an order form to purchase the award(s)
• Collect and Pay the nominal cost for the award package and its shipping, either directly or through local sponsorship (usually between $7 and $50 depending on number of awards)
• Receive the award package and distribute the award to each recipient

BACKGROUND

America has a long and proud tradition of volunteer service. Now more than ever, volunteers are renewing their commitment to helping others and making new connections that bring us closer together as families, as neighbors, as communities, and as a Nation.

In his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush issued a challenge to all Americans to make time to help their neighbors, communities, and Nation through service. He called on each person to dedicate at least 4,000 hours or two years to service over the course of their lives. He created the USA Freedom Corps to help all Americans answer his call to service and help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility.

In 2003, President Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to find ways to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our Nation. The Council brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media.

The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation created the President's Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service.

Recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service to others. It encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation and inspires others to make volunteering a central part of their lives. The President's Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard measured by the number of hours served over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime.

To date, the President's Council has bestowed more than 400,000 awards to the Nation's deserving volunteers.

THE AWARD

Award recipients receive:

• An official Presidential Volunteer Service Award pin
• A personalized certificate of achievement
• A note of congratulations from the President of the United States
• A letter from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation

Presidential Volunteer Award Criteria

Any individual, family, or group can receive Presidential recognition for volunteer hours earned over a 12-month period or over the course of a lifetime at home or abroad. The following are the eligibility requirements for each age group:

           Bronze Level       

• Kids: 50 to 74 hours          
• Young Adults: 100 to 174 hour     
• Adults: 100 to 249 hours                 
• Family & Groups: 200 to 499 hours            

           Silver Level          

• Kids: 75 to 99 hours          
• Young Adults: 175 to 249 hour     
• Adults: 250 to 4999 hours              
• Family & Groups: 500 to 999 hours            

             Gold Level            

• Kids: 100 or more hours  
• Young Adults: 250 hours or more               
• Adults: 500 hours or more             
• Family & Groups: 1000 hours or more      

               Presidential Call to Service Award              

• All Ages: 4,000 hours or more of volunteer service (over a lifetime).         

                Personalized Certificate                 

• Kids under 14 years old can earn the President's Volunteer Service Award by completing 50 or more hours of volunteer service in one year.