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The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is a congressional initiative that honors volunteer achievements. The AmeriCorps program and the Points of Light Foundation are in charge of running this national program.

What Is the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)? 

The President’s Volunteer Service Award was founded by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2003. The purpose is to recognize and appreciate the crucial contribution of volunteers to America’s strength and sense of national identity. This award recognizes people whose service has a beneficial effect on local communities across the country and motivates those around them to take similar action. 

These honorable people are working to find solutions to some of the most challenging issues facing the United States, and they deserve the gratitude and respect of the entire country. There are various tiers for the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

• A legitimate collar pin that displays the Bronze, Silver, or Gold degree of service.
• A remarkable certificate of achievement.
• A letter of congratulations from the US president.

Who Can Apply for PVSA?

Anyone over five years of age who has earned the necessary number of hours for their age group and has applied for the PVSA is eligible.

Age Group	Bronze	Silver	Gold	Lifetime Achievement
Kids ( 5-10 years old)	26-49 hours	50-74 hours	Above 75 hours	Above 4000 hours
Teens ( 11-15)	50-74 hours	75-99 hours	Above 100 hours	Above 4000 hours
Young Adults ( 16-25)	100-174 hours	175- 249 hours	Above 250 hours	Above 4000 hours
Adults (above 26)	100-249 hours	250- 499 hours	Above 500 hours	Above 4000 hours

Guidelines for PVSA

The following are the guidelines to apply for the President’s Volunteer Service Award:

Individuals, families, and groups must keep track of their volunteer work and service hours in order to qualify for an Award. A diary or calendar can be utilized to record activities, or the USA Freedom Corps Record of Service, accessible at www.presidentialserviceawards.gov, can be used to keep track of them online.

A registered Certifying Organization will analyze and verify each volunteer’s record of service before distributing the Award. A Certifying Organization could be a nonprofit, a community, a faith-based organization, a company, a school or college, a membership or trade association, or a federal, state, or local government agency.

Although practically any volunteer work qualifies for the Award, participants are encouraged to take part in service that targets specific areas of need in the United States of America. Achievement of young people, parks and open spaces, healthy communities, public safety, and emergency response are priority areas. Activities must be unpaid and cannot include community work that has been mandated by the court.

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Eligibility Criteria 

Any person, family, group, or organization that satisfies the requirements of the program is eligible to receive Presidential recognition for volunteer hours contributed over the course of a year or over a lifetime. Requirements for recognition include

• The recipients must be either U.S. citizens or legally admitted permanent residents.
• Awards are given for hours of service rendered during a lifetime or within a 12-month period.
• Awards are only given for volunteer work. Other levels of involvement with the organization, such as charitable support, are not considered when deciding who receives the award.
• Community service mandated by a court does not qualify for the prize.
• Prizes are given out by recognized Certifying Agencies. 
• Service must be performed with a company legitimately registered in one of the territories, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the United States.

The PVSA Hour Verification Process 2020

The following is the verification process for PVSA hours 2020;

1. Check out UTVolunteers.org
2. Sign up/ Sign In using Eid/login information
3. Click the drop-down arrow on “Hi, (your name)”
4. Press “Add Impact”.
5. Look up the nonprofit or organization name, then select it.
6. Use the procedures in the next section if you can’t identify the organization name.
7. Select the blue “Add Impact” button on the page’s right side.
8. Click the “Add Timesheet” button
9. Complete all the necessary fields.
10. Completely scroll down to make sure to advise The University of Texas at Austin of that information.
11. Click the “Add Timesheet” button in green.
12. It should then direct you to a different page where all the data you entered is listed.
13. Your browser will display “waiting verification” at the top of the page.
14. Once the hours have been confirmed, the word “verified” will change to a green checkmark.
15. Email us at utcce@austin.utexas.edu once it has been validated so that we can place the award.

The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation

The President’s Council on Service and Civic Engagement were established by President George W. Bush in 2003 to honor the important contributions of volunteers  bringing to the United States of America. The Council is led by two-time Super Bowl winner Darrell Green and includes representatives from industry, media, entertainment, education, nonprofit, volunteer service, and community organizations. Former U.S. Senators Robert Dole and John Glenn serve as honorary co-chairs.

The PVSA Awarded to the Best Diplomats

Best Diplomats, a diplomatic simulation organizer, is an international non-profit organization. The headquarters of Best Diplomats are based in New York. Best Diplomats was founded in 2021 to recognize the importance of youth leadership and seek to offer opportunities to harness and grow for future leaders. The organization collaborates with other youth organizations and seeks to inspire future premiers by giving them a stage on which to demonstrate their public speaking and diplomatic expertise.

The mission of Best Diplomats is to cultivate in aspiring future diplomats the qualities of diplomacy, leadership, and public policy formulation. The young of today are tomorrow’s leaders, policymakers, and most importantly, changemakers. The main goal is to develop these aspiring future leaders into the best diplomats possible so they can reshape future international relations and the UN.

For participating in historical and life-changing volunteer events, Best Diplomats received the 2022 President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award from the President of the United States of America, President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr, on February 26, 2023, at Best Diplomats United Nations Stimulating Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey. The Award is in recognition of the Organization’s volunteer services to the nation of America and the international platform of best Diplomats which focuses on the crafting and training of future diplomats through diplomatic stimulation. 

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Best Diplomats is organizing diplomatic conferences across the globe, twice per destination: Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand, Dubai, and Egypt. Each conference continues for 3 days which includes all the diplomatic practices, the Model of United Nations (MoUN), and the city tours as well. People from different countries participate in these diplomatic conferences. This provides excellent opportunities for people to expand their network across the globe.

Register Yourself With Best Diplomats!

Conclusion 

The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) acknowledges outstanding people who have demonstrated a strong commitment to volunteering and community service. These people put in a lot of effort to address some of the most difficult problems that their communities and the United States of America are currently experiencing.

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