The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is an opportunity to
honor our most outstanding volunteers and recognize the impact they
make. Girl Scouts of the Desert Southwest is a proud PVSA certifying organization.
How to Earn the PVSA with GSDSW
1. Be a registered
Girl Scout member with GSDSW.
2. Track the hours you spend volunteering with the Volunteer
Hours Log.
- Your volunteer hours do not have to be Girl Scout related but
they do need to qualify as noted below under "Award
Details".
- Volunteer hours must be completed during a
12-month timeframe
3. Complete
the PVSA Application after you complete your hours. You will
also upload your Volunteer
Hours Log.
Deadline
The deadline to submit application, in
order to be recognized at the soonest Ceremony of Honors, is the
third Thursday in February. Late applications will be recognized
at the following Ceremony of Honors.
Visit our council Key
Dates Calendar for Ceremony of Honors date(s).
Award Details
For the most recent details about this award, visit https://presidentialserviceawards.gov/
Volunteer Eligibility
- United States citizen or lawful permanent resident of the
United States (i.e., green card holder)
- Must be at least
five years old
- Completes eligible service within a 12-month
period (for annual Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards) and over a
lifetime (for Lifetime Achievement Awards)
Eligible Service (Volunteer Hours):
Unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others:
- Service through National service programs that provide a
stipend (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) may count towards the
Lifetime Achievement Award, but not for the annual Bronze, Silver,
and Gold Awards)
- Travel stipends, transit/parking passes,
membership passes, expense reimbursements, and other nominal
volunteer support do not impact service eligibility
Eligible Service (Volunteer Hours) does not include:
- 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
Hours Required to Earn Awards in Each Age Group
| Age Group | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
Lifetime Achievement Award |
| Kids (5–10 years old) | 26–49 hours | 50–74
hours | 75+ hours | 4,000+ hours |
| Teens (11–15) | 50–74 hours | 75–99 hours |
100+ hours | 4,000+ hours |
| Young Adults (16–25) | 100–174 hours | 175–249
hours | 250+ hours | 4,000+ hours |
| Adults (26+) | 100–249 hours | 250–499
hours | 500+ hours | 4,000+ hours |
