Shirley Shia, Ye Qiao, Yingli Fu
From registration to obtaining approval for the non-profit organization, CAPA-BC only took a short three months, and we are indeed fortunate. Thanks to everyone's enthusiastic registrations and donations, we are now well-prepared. Just recently, we applied for the qualification to be awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the situation is very promising.
The President's Volunteer Service Award, also known as the PVSA, is a prestigious award presented by the United States federal government, in collaboration with Americorp and Point of Light. It is specifically designed to honor individuals who actively participate in community volunteer work and inspire others to take action. You can find more details on the official website (https://presidentialserviceawards.gov), or you can visit the CAPA-MC website for information about this award (https://www.capamc.org/english/scholarship/pvsa/).
The President's Volunteer Service Award has different categories based on the age group and the volunteer service hours (one year). These categories include Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Lifetime Awards. Please refer to the table below for more details.
When applying to college, there is a specific section that requires students to list the awards they received during high school. From the table above, it can be seen that the President's Volunteer Service Award holds great value because its requirements are quite high. It is not a common medal that everyone can easily obtain. For example, high school students need to complete at least 100 hours of volunteer service within a year to receive the Bronze Award. We have set the period for issuing the President's Volunteer Service Award by CAPA-BC from June 1st to May 31st each year. The volunteer service should be at least 20% completed at CAPA-BC, and the remaining 80% can be done elsewhere as long as there is official documentation. All signed forms and documents need to be submitted by July 1st.
Regardless of whether your child attends a public or private high school, every high school student is required to complete at least 75 hours of volunteer service before graduation. However, when applying to college, stating the bare minimum of 75 hours may give the impression of lacking enthusiasm and merely completing a task. One solution is to combine the school's required 75 hours with long-term community volunteer service, thus not only fulfilling the requirement but also enhancing the students' resumes with the prestigious President's Volunteer Service Award. To achieve this, our association has established various youth clubs and volunteer projects. So, why do we require at least 20% of the service to be completed within our association to be eligible for the President's Volunteer Service Award?
Setting aside broad statements such as "serving the community," concise and down-to-earth reasons are as follows: Firstly, within our organization, there are more leadership opportunities, and leadership is an important consideration in college applications. Secondly, volunteer activities can be flexibly scheduled according to the child's own timetable, rather than accommodating others' schedules. Thirdly, there are ample opportunities here without the need for extensive searching. Unlike some opportunities that require multiple confirmations via phone calls, this ensures the continuity of the child's activities. Fourthly, many volunteer activities can be completed at home or in close proximity, without parents or children having to drive to other places.
Now, two key questions arise: Which activities by CAPA-BC count as volunteer hours and how are hours calculated? Generally speaking, activities that serve the association can be counted as volunteer hours, such as writing articles, editing newsletters, gathering resources, managing websites, chairing meetings, conducting education-related lectures (such as Asian contribution history), assisting children with special needs, and serving the elderly. Children should accurately record the time required for these activities and have the project team leader sign off on them. For example, a 500-word article would normally take 1-2 hours, while claiming ten hours for it would be somewhat unrealistic.
The purpose of establishing this association is to provide a platform for building the community, allowing children to expand their interests through this platform and develop their leadership skills. It also promotes parents and children to venture beyond the community. We hope that everyone can seize the opportunity of the President's Volunteer Service Award and create the positive feedback loop of "I contribute to CAPA and CAPA benefits me."
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