Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)
Presidential Volunteer Service Award (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 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 administration, honoring the volunteers who are using their time and talents to solve some of the toughest challenges facing our nation.
The program is led by the AmeriCorps program and is managed in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation. In the fall of 2022, the Collaborative Center for Community Engagement became a Certifying Organization.
The Collaborative Center will provide the first 150 students who have a minimum of 100 hours within the RCommunity system starting on July 1, 2024 until June 30, 2025 with a personalized certificate of achievement and letter signed by the President of the United States. Recipients will be notified.
To receive a PVSA award, students must meet the following eligibility requirements as established by the AmeriCorps program and the Points of Light Foundation:
- US citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. green card holder)
- Be a student at Rutgers – New Brunswick
- Completes the eligible service within a 12-month period for annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards. For Rutgers New Brunswick, the 12-month period begins on July 1st and continues until June 30th of the next year (an Academic Year calendar)
- Enter hours into the RCommunity platform and have those hours verified by either the affiliate site or by an RCommunity administrator
Eligible Service:
- Unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others
- Service through National service programs that provide a stipend (e.g. Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) may not count towards the annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards.
Eligible Service does not include:
- Donating funds
- Political lobbying (non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
- Religious instruction
- Conducting worship services
- Proselytizing
- Volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service
- Serving only family members
Hours Required to Earn Awards
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For more information, please reach out to the Collaborative Center for Community Engagement at civic@odi.rutgers.edu.