President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)

History of the PVSA:

In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity. This award honors individuals and clubs whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.       

The PVSA has continued under each presidential administration, honoring the volunteers who are using their time and talents to solve some of the toughest challenges facing our nation.

The PVSA allows NVC to recognize our most exceptional volunteers!

To qualify for this award through NVC, you must have:

Completed 100 or more hours of service to the community within a 12 month period. You must also be currently enrolled NVC student or a current NVC staff/faculty member at the time of application.

Service can be submitted for current year as well as one year prior.

Award Criteria

Any NVC student, staff, or faculty that meets the program’s criteria can receive Presidential recognition for volunteer hours served within a 12-month period or over the course of a lifetime. Criteria for recognition are:

• 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.
• You must have been enrolled or employed at Northwest Vista College during the award year requested. 
  
• Submissions must include an upload of official documentation (an official letter or certificate) from the organization that you served with, indicating; your name, date of service, total hours served, and contact information for the organization
• Service must be with an organization that is legally established in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or one of the territories.

Types of service not eligible for this award?                   

• Donating funds        
• Political lobbying (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)      
• Religious instruction     
• Conducting worship service   
• Proselytizing
• Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
• Serving only family members
              

Award recipients receive:

• A President’s Volunteer Service Award medal.
• 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.

More Information about the Award:

https://presidentialserviceawards.gov/

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 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.

***If someone has completed 100 or more hours of service to the community and do not meet the qualifications for the award through NVC, I would recommend that they ask the organization that they served with to recognize them for this award. Most non-profits and places of worship are eligible to participate in this program, and it is a great award to pursue.
Any questions, please contact Jade Mata at nvc-serves@alamo.edu.

The application can be accessed and filled out in AlamoExperience here. There are no deadlines to submit your application, however, in order to receive your award in the semester that you apply, applications must be received by November 30, 2021 for Fall and April 27, 2022 for Spring. Service needs to be performed and documented on or before the application due date in order to receive your award in the semester that it is submitted.

Service Hours Submission

* You must submit your application through AlamoExperience with formal documentation (letterhead or certificate) from the organization that you served with; indicating your name, date of service, total hours served, and contact information for the organization. (Sign-in sheets/forms and handwritten letters are not acceptable)  

How to Submit Documentation and/or Letterheads in AlamoExperience:

• Login to "AlamoExperience"
• Click on your profile icon
• Click on "Experiences"
• Click on "Add Experience"
• Click on "Experiential Learning Self-Reported Experience"
• Fill out the form (required to follow the format for all community service)
  • i.e. =  NVC Community Service: Habitat For Humanity
  • your name
  • date of service
  • total hours served
  • (Sign-in sheets, forms and handwritten letters are not acceptable)
• The "Experience" name will be: NVC Community Service: Name of Event or Agency      
• The "Organization" name will be the name of event or name of agency
• The "Contact" information will be from the organization you served with
• Upload your service documentation (an official letter or certificate) indicating:
• Submit for Approval
• The Community Service event will be listed on your Experience Transcript once it is approved (Allow 5 business days for your submission to be reviewed)

How to Submit an Application:

- To apply for PVSA, visit: https://alamo.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/235001