Awards
Hanlin Education Foundation of America Volunteer Service Award Application Q&A
Welcome to the Hanlin Education Foundation of America Youth Group, where everyone is a volunteer.
Here are some common questions asked about the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
1. What is the President’s volunteer service award? How does it work?
The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is the premier volunteer awards program, encouraging citizens to live a life of service through presidential gratitude and national recognition. For more information, please check the official website here.
2. What qualifies as volunteer work?
Volunteering is considered an activity where an individual or group provides work or service for no financial gain (in other words, not getting paid). Volunteering is an admirable skill that promotes the quality and being of a character. It also positively influences a community and is nationally recognized.
Image of the President Service Award Logo
3. Who is qualified for what awards?
Every volunteer who has registered with Hanlin Youth can participate. Hours are measured on a cumulative scale. If you are a US citizen or a Green Card holder, you can qualify for a nationally recognized award from the president.
4. Who do I go to to achieve national recognition for my service?
To recognize your service, Hanlin Education Foundation of America has been nationally recognized as a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit and can approve your hours through the presidential volunteer service program.
5. What are the awards and how can they be achieved?
The criteria in the table below apply to all volunteers. The awards are offered in multiple levels and are designed to recognize each milestone of your service achievement. You can earn awards based on levels of bronze, silver, and gold. If you contribute to more than 4,000 hours of service in your lifetime, you may be granted the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award/LMC Lifetime Achievement Award.
| Ages | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kids (5-10) | 26 – 49 Hours | 50 – 74 Hours | 75 + Hours |
| Teens (11-15) | 50 – 74 Hours | 75 – 99 Hours | 100 + Hours |
| Young Adults (16-25) | 100 – 174 Hours | 175 – 249 Hours | 250 + Hours |
| Adults (26 and older) | 100 – 249 Hours | 249 – 499 Hours | 500 + Hours |
6. If I volunteer in other organizations, can I apply for the awards at HLY?
To encourage Hanlin Youth to service the community, Hanlin allows youth to transfer service hours performed with other NPOs and must be certified with supervisor signature. HLY honors up to 50% of VERIFIED volunteer hours from other non-profit organizations. For example, if you are 15 and apply for Gold Award, the minimum required hours are 100 hours. 50% of the required hours should be from HLY, and the other 50% can be from other organizations.
7. How do I apply for the President’s award?
HLY tries to make the application as simple as possible. If you have volunteered at Hanlin events, your service hours will be logged and submitted by the event supervisor on your behalf to Hanlin HR.
To apply for the actual award, please fill out this form.
If you wish to transfer service hours from another NPO to Hanlin, please submit/upload the signed service verification form along with the application Services Hour Award Application form.
8. In what time frame do I submit my hours and qualify for any awards?
The cycle is a 12-month period starting from June 1st of every year, to May 31st. You will have to submit your hours completed in that time frame.
We request that you apply and submit the required documents by July 31st to HLY, and the awards will be handed out on January 1st.