(Updated on 3/3/2024. PDF English Information, PDF 中文介绍，Application Form)

 Chinese American Parent Association of Montgomery county (CAPA-MC) is a PVSA certified organization. As a certified organization, CAPA-MC is authorized to issue PVSA award to volunteers who meet certain volunteer services. 

What is the PVSA?

 The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and is administered by Points of Light. Through a shared mission of inspiring more to answer the call to service, the President’s Volunteer Service Award celebrates the impact we can all make in bettering our communities and our world. 

Criteria

Individuals that meet the following criteria are eligible for the PVSA.

• Recipient(s) must be a United States citizen or a lawfully admitted permanent resident of the United States.
• Awards are issued for service hours served within a 12-month time period or over the course of a lifetime.
• Awards are issued for volunteer service only; additional levels of participation with the organization (i.e., charitable support) are not a factor considered for the award.
• Court-ordered community service does not qualify for the award.
• Awards are issued by approved Certifying Organizations.
• Service must be with an approved Certifying Organization that is legally established in the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or one of the U.S. territories.

Eligibility

Hours are measured over a 12-month period and awards are designated based on cumulative hours. The awards are offered in multiple levels and are designed to recognize each milestone of your service achievement.

Hours Required to Earn Awards in Each Age Group

Age Group	Bronze	Silver	Gold	Lifetime Achievement Award
Kids (5–10)	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

Please see more information at
https://presidentialserviceawards.gov

FAQ

What is CAPA’s 12 months service time period?

The CAPA-MC’s 12 months service time period is annually April 1st to March 31st. All the service hours which are used to apply for the award must be completed in the aforementioned time period and all documents/forms must be submitted to the CAPA-MC volunteer coordinator at pvsa@capamc.org no later than May 15th, 2024. 

What kind of volunteer hour is eligible to count toward a PVSA award if you apply the award through CAPC-MC?

The volunteer hour used to count toward the award MUST be MCPS approved SSL hour.
But it is important to note that NOT all MCPS-approved SSL hours are eligible. The following
volunteer hours are not eligible:

• Volunteer activity not conducted in the US
• Learning hour
• Political lobbying (Non-partisan voter registration is an eligible activity)
• Religious instruction

To ensure the integrity of the PSVA award, CAPA-MC has the discretion to decide if the SSL hours submitted by applicant is eligible to count toward PVSA award.
You also must have volunteer hours affiliated with CAPA-MC to apply the PVSA award through CAPA-MC.

Starting from April 1st, 2024 to March 31st, 2025, 12-month service time period, in order for CAPA-MC to process your PVSA application, at least 20% of your total volunteer service hours or at least 20 volunteer service hours should be earned from participating CAPA-MC’s different clubs’ sponsored volunteer service hours.

Is there an application fee for the award?

No application fee is needed to apply for the award and CAPA-MC doesn’t charge any fee for nominating volunteers. 

What will happen if the age group changes in the 12-month time period?

If within the time period the age group of the applicant changes (Kid, Teens, Young Adults and Adults), the hours requirement will be divided into two parts, the months before and after the applicant’s birthday. Service hours will need to meet the required hours in each age group by month to be eligible for the award.

Are there other requirements to apply for the PVSA through CAPA?

One of your family members must be a CAPA-MC general or voting member. If not, please register your family member at https://www.capamc.org/ (Join CAPA-MC)to join. Our general membership is free and we want to build a strong Chinese American community so together we can make a difference. 

How to find volunteer opportunities?

Volunteer opportunities can be found at https://montgomerycountymd.galaxydigital.com/need/​. Please check the CAPA-MC website for any updates. Good luck to everyone applying and many thanks for working to give back to the community. If there are any other inquiries please feel free to send them in at pvsa@capamc.org.

Previous Winners: