President's Volunteer Service Award
An initiative of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation

• President's Volunteer Service Award
• FAQs

UT Service and Civic Participation

Chancellor Mark Yudof serves on the President's Council on Service & Civic Participation. As a result, UT System has partnered with the President's Council on Service & Civic Participation to bring the President's Volunteer Service Awards program to the University of Texas at Austin along with the other UT System institutions.

The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation

President George W. Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2003 to help recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making to our Nation. The Council includes local Texan figures such as Chancellor Mark Yudolf, Chancellor of The University of Texas systems, Hilary Duff, singer and actress, and Janine Turner, actress.

The Award

The President's Volunteer Service Award is issued by the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation on behalf of the President of the United States to recognize the best in the American spirit, and to encourage all Americans to improve their communities through volunteer service and civic participation.

Categories of the Award vary by age and hours of service completed within a 12- month period.

All Award recipients receive a personalized certificate of achievement, a congratulatory letter from the President of the United States, a congratulatory letter from the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, and an official President's Award pin.

Guidelines

Any University of Texas at Austin student, faculty, and staff is eligible to earn the award. Individuals must keep a record of volunteer activities* and hours served online at www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/s/ut. This award is a completely voluntary process, and only those that are working to earn this award should record their information. This record will be submitted to the Volunteer and Service Learning Center, the registered Certifying Organizations, who will review and verify the record and distribute the Award.

Volunteers are encouraged to participate in service that addresses particular areas of need in our Nation, those almost all service hours count. Priority areas include youth achievement, parks and open spaces, healthy communities, public safety, and emergency response. Activities should be unpaid.

*Volunteerism is "a freely chosen beneficial act, where meaningful service is done with no expectation of" (www.vslc.org).

Volunteer Opportunities

To learn more about volunteer opportunities in the greater Austin community, please check out our searchable, volunteer database.