We all like being on the receiving end of a well-deserved “Thank You” but it certainly means a whole lot more when it comes from the desk of the President of the United States. And that’s exactly what Troop 132 Life Scout Patrick Xiao received recently. Patrick was the recipient of a Gold-level PVSA, which included a pin, coin, medal and a signed certificate from President Biden congratulating Patrick on all of his hard work.
While many of you may have heard about the PVSA, or Presidential Volunteer Service Award, many of you don’t know that certain tasks that you perform as a Scout can qualify you for any one of the several levels of commendation by Americorps & Thousand Points of Light, the sponsoring organizations of the PVSA.
All Patrick had to do was provide documentation from all of the Troop service hours and eagle project hours that he worked to complete his project as well as others. By the time you start adding it up, you can amass over 250 hours very quickly. There are currently 4 different levels of commendation.
To determine if you or your Scout are a qualified individual please read the following:
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:
- 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 does not include:
- Soliciting funds (including but not limited to selling Popcorn and/or other services like bagging groceries or raking leaves)
- 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
| 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 |
If a Scout completes tasks that are considered an act of community or public service and does so without pay then this would qualify. This would also include any and all hours performed on his/her Eagle service project. For some Scouts, this can total 100 or more hours. The hours must be verified by the beneficiary of the organization that the work was performed for. If Scouts keep a simple Excel spreadsheet that details the following:
| Date | Hours worked | Beneficiary | Description of work performed | Beneficiary Contact | Beneficiary Email | Beneficiary Phone |
| 4/23/2021 | 47 | Tule Ponds | built retaining wall | John Q. Public | 510-555-1212 |
Once the Scout reaches the minimum or desired threshold then an email request may be sent to along with the spreadsheet detailing the work performed. A verification will then be made on all hours worked and a confirmation email will be sent to the Scout and/or parents and the unit Scoutmaster.