Founded in 2003, the President’s Volunteeer 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 and inspires others around them to take action too. The program allows certifying organizations, such as SASO Girls, to recognize their most exceptional young leaders.
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
- 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.)
- Candidates must sign up for PVSA by SEPTEMBER 30th. Volunteer hours will be counted through May 31.
- A follow-up email asking to verify the member’s PVSA eligibility and a Google Doc “Hourly Service Log” will be created and shared
- The member is responsible for logging every volunteer hour and ensuring that every hour has been verified by either SASO or the outside organization.
- 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
- Girls should take responsibility for communicating with the PVSA coordinator(s) and for recording hours
- Volunteer hours independently obtained at one of our established, long-standing philanthropy organizations will be considered as part of the 30% SASO requirement.
- 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.
- 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.
- Unless otherwise specified, the honor system should be used to tabulate hours for open-ended events. Generally, one hour of service is granted for drives and 1-1.5 hours for activities such as making cards. Travel time or time spent shopping should NOT be counted. Operation Hope hours should be tabulated as follows:
Entrees for 25 – 2.5 hours; Sides – 2 hours; Dessert – 1 hour; Salad, drinks – 1 hour;
Serving dinner – 2 hours; Community cook – 2 hours; Bagged lunches – 1.5 hours;
Christmas Cookies – 2 hours
In addition to a commitment to service, 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 afterschool programs that need weekly help.
We hope that this opportunity for Presidential recognition will inspire many of our volunteer leaders to take on the challenge and answer the President’s call to service!
Important Links:
Community Service Verification Form
