About The President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA)
American Royal Beauties is a Certifying Organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award. This award is a Presidential Honor that recognizes valuable contributions of volunteers nationwide, who are serving others through current activities or lifetime service. As a Certifying Organization, ARB can identify eligible recipients, verify their service hours, and distribute the Award to outstanding volunteers.
To qualify, volunteers simply submit a record of their service hours to ARB, and we will verify the service and distribute the award.
Additionally, eligible volunteer service hours are not limited to those performed on behalf of ARB. Service hours can be accumulated through work on a variety of projects throughout the year. The hours must be completed within 12 months. All volunteers are responsible for tracking their own hours and submitting the appropriate documentation.
Presidential recognition is a tremendous honor and sets you apart from your peers. Even though you may not seek recognition, your example can deliver a powerful message that encourages others to take action.
Report Your Eligibility
Hours must be accumulated between June 16, 2023 and June 15, 2024. The deadline to submit your service hours this year is June 15, 2024. Submissions will be accepted June 1-June 15 only using the button below. All awards will be presented at the American Royal Beauties National Event each year. Please use this Google Sheet template* to log your hours. Your spreadsheet should utilize proper spelling, grammar, and mechanics. See FAQ below for complete details on tracking your eligibility.
link is active June 1-15, 2024
Note: Applicants' service hours must be confirmed by a registered Certifying Organization (American Royal Beauties). Applicants must be a United States citizen or a lawfully admitted, permanent resident of the United States.
Eligibility Guidelines
Eligible Service includes unpaid acts of volunteer service benefitting others. Volunteering is the practice of people working on behalf of others or a particular cause without compensation for their time and services. Be logical and uphold the values of integrity as a volunteer. Only the actual amount of hours you volunteer counts for PVSA. Time spent traveling, sleeping, eating, and socializing, etc. does not count toward your total service hours. In general, for activities to qualify as community service, they should:
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Be for the benefit of others
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Give service to an area in need
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Not involve payment/monetary compensation
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Be voluntary, meaning you are not being required to do service for any reason (e.g., for a class grade)
Eligible Service does NOT include: donating funds, political lobbying, religious instruction, conducting worship service, proselytizing, volunteer service performed as part of court-ordered community service, or serving only family members.
For full eligibility guidelines, please refer to the PVSA website. If you have any questions about whether a particular act of service counts toward PVSA, please email sarah@ARBpageants.com.
Award Levels
Gold Award
Kids (5-10): 75+ hours
Teens (11-15): 100+ hours
Young Adults (16-25): 250+ hours
Adults (>26): 500+ hours
Silver Award
Kids (5-10): 50-74 hours
Teens (11-15): 75-99 hours
Young Adults (16-25): 175-249 hours
Adults (>26): 250-499 hours
Bronze Award
Kids (5-10): 26-49 hours
Teens (11-15): 50-74 hours
Young Adults (16-25): 100-174 hours
Adults (>26): 100-249 hours
Lifetime Award
All ages: 4,000+ hours
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who is eligible to receive the award?
Any U.S. citizen or lawful, permanent resident of the U.S. aged 5 years and older. As a Certifying Organization, ARB will only award PVSA to local, state, national, or lifetime American Royal Beauties titleholders. Titleholders must be in good standing with ARB at the time of the award.
Who issues the award?
ARB, as the certifying organization, recommends a volunteer to the PVSA program administrator once the volunteer has logged the required service hours for each award category. Volunteer hours are subject to verification by the certifying organization. Anyone found to have falsified volunteer service hours will not be awarded the PVSA. If falsification has been discovered after PVSA has been awarded, the award will be revoked.
Does an awardee have to pay for the cost of the award package?
No. ARB will pay for the cost of the award package it chooses to have issued to the awardee.
Can I choose the type of award package I want to receive?
No. ARB reserves the right to select the type of award package. The award will include a certificate and may also include a medallion, pin, or coin.
How can I track my hours?
You should use this Google Sheet template* to track your service. You will upload this document when you submit your hours for certification. You should also print a copy of the Volunteer Service Certification form to have signed by a supervisor at any volunteer event. The volunteer supervisor cannot be a family member. Please keep all of your volunteer service certification forms organized, as you may be requested to present them to verify your service hours. If the event has already passed and you do not have a Volunteer Service Certification form, you will be required to provide contact information for a supervisor to verify your service.
How many times am I eligible to receive the award?
There is no limit to the number of times to receive the Gold, Silver, or Bronze awards as a volunteer. Each award is a recognition of eligible service hours accumulated within a continuous 12-month period. The Lifetime award can only be earned once per individual.
When does the 12-month period start?
The certifying organization (ARB) selects and maintains the start date of the 12-month period. This year, hours will be counted between June 16, 2023 and June 15, 2024 to be eligible for the PVSA. Please note: If you earned the PVSA last year, you may not double-count any hours that you used toward the previous year's award (e.g., if the 12-month period has overlap with a previous years' or another certifying organization's 12-month period).
Can I volunteer with a different organization and have ARB certify those hours towards PVSA?
Yes, ARB will honor hours from any organization given that the act of service qualifies under the Eligibility Guidelines given above. ARB reserves the right to deny any act of service it does not deem eligible for the PVSA.
What is the process for verification of volunteer hours?
Volunteers applying for the PVSA must use this Google Sheet template* to log all hours. Additionally, they should have the Volunteer Service Certification form signed by a supervisor at any volunteer event. American Royal Beauties will verify service logs and may request Volunteer Service Certification forms for additional verification. If the event has already passed and you do not have a Volunteer Service Certification form, you will be required to provide contact information for a supervisor to verify your service.
What pageant activities will ARB accept/not accept for the PVSA award?
Parade appearances do not count toward PVSA hours. Judging a pageant does not count toward PVSA hours. Volunteering at an ARB event is limited to a maximum of 8 countable hours, however, you may not double count volunteering at an ARB event as both one of your required appearances and as volunteer hours toward PVSA. Helping at other pageant events may be counted on a case-by-case basis with a written Volunteer Service Certification form detailing the benefit provided by your volunteer service. Note that community service appearances can be double counted as volunteer hours toward PVSA and required appearances for ARB.
Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
For additional questions, contact the ARB National Director, Sarah Shumaker, at sarah@ARBpageants.com.
*You must be signed into your Google account before clicking the Google Sheet Template link.