Please Note: The President's Volunteer Service Award has been temporarily paused by AmeriCorps, effective May 27, 2025. While we wait for updates, we encourage interested candidates to email sasogirlspvsa@gmail.com by September 30 with their name and date of birth and to continue to track their hours following the guidelines posted below. 

 

Founded in 2003, the President’s Volunteer Service Award program recognizes the important role volunteers play in our nation’s identity and honors individuals whose service has a positive impact on communities. The program allows certifying organizations, such as SASO Girls, to recognize their most exceptional young leaders.

 

PVSA candidates must possess initiative, drive, time management skills, and attention to detail. Candidates should plan out their hours at the beginning of the membership year, taking advantage of summer and breaks in their schedule. Candidates are also urged to look for activities that offer larger time blocks, such as the Pequot Library Book Sale or after-school programs that need weekly help.

  

For SASO members, the PVSA award period is the same as that of the SASO membership year, June 1 – May 31. PVSA Awards are given for Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels of achievement. The chart below outlines the requirements.

*Determination of whether a member qualifies for the Teen or Young Adult Award is made by birth date, that is, by the candidate’s age for the majority of our membership year, or at least 7 of the 12 months between June 1- May 31.

 

 How to Get Started

  1. Email your interest to the SASO PVSA Coordinators, Sue Fekete and Odette Hardiman at sasogirlspvsa@gmail.com. Include member’s name, birthdate and primary email address (this can be parent or child.)
  2. Candidates must sign up for PVSA by SEPTEMBER 30th. Volunteer hours will be counted through May 31.
  3. A follow-up email asking to verify the member’s PVSA eligibility and a Google Doc “Hourly Service Log” will be created and shared
  4. The member is responsible for logging every volunteer hour and ensuring that every hour has been verified by either SASO or the outside organization.
  5. At the end of the SASO Membership year, May 31, the log will be verified by SASO and all members who meet all the criteria will be submitted to the PVSA for an award.

Important Notes

  1. Girls should take responsibility for communicating with the PVSA coordinator(s) and for recording hours
  2. Volunteer hours independently obtained at one of our established, long-standing philanthropy organizations will be considered as part of the 30% SASO requirement. 
  3. Service hours completed through agencies that are NOT SASO philanthropic partners must be pre-approved by the PVSA coordinator(s). Additionally, a Community Service Verification Form, signed by a supervising adult at the non-SASO organization, may be required.
  4. Service that does NOT qualify includes court-ordered community service; paid service or financial donations; religious instruction and/or worship; service for family members; political lobbying and proselytizing. For additional information, please visit the PVSA website: presidentialserviceawards.gov.

 

Hours Guidelines

  • Unless otherwise specified, the honor system should be used to tabulate hours for open-ended events. The guidelines below represent an average of how much time specified activities will likely take, and ensure that hours are recorded fairly across members. Travel time or time spent shopping should NOT be counted.
  •  
  • COMMON OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES:
  • Appalachia Service Project: 50 hours
  • Harbor Lights Summer Adventures Camp CIT: 20 hours/week
  •  
  • AT-HOME EVENTS:
  • Drives (qty often 10-12)*: 1 hour
  • Creating cards/posters (qty 10-12): 1.5 hours
  • Homemade cookies: 1 hour per dozen
  • * Members may not multiply the amount requested in an effort to earn more hours. For example, purchasing 20 items instead of 10 will not earn a member 2 hours.
  •  
  • FOOD RESCUE:
  • Record amount of time between pickup and dropoff. There is no limit on Food Rescues completed per month, but only one Food Rescue may count toward the three events required for membership.
  •  
  • OPERATION HOPE MEALS:
  • Operation Hope meals: Community Cook and Freezer Meal Entrees: 2.5 hours; Sides: 2 hours; Salad, drinks, store-bought desserts: 1 hour; Bagged lunches: 1.5 hours; homemade cookies or desserts: 1 hour per dozen. Members may sign up for 2 Operation Hope events per month.

 

Important Links

President's Volunteer Service Award

Community Service Verification Form

All About the PVSA PowerPoint