presidential service awards

Paying for College
1

<p><a href="http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Is this legit? Is it worth to apply, will this help in admissions?
-Background-----------------------------------------------------------
America has a long and proud tradition of volunteer service. Now more than ever, volunteers are renewing their commitment to helping others and making new connections that bring us closer together as families, as neighbors, as communities, and as a Nation. In his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush issued a challenge to all Americans to make time to help their neighbors, communities, and Nation through service. He called on each person to dedicate at least 4,000 hours – or two years – to service over the course of their lives. He created the USA Freedom Corps to help all Americans answer his call to service and help foster a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. In 2003, President Bush created the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation to find ways to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our Nation. The Council brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media. The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation created the President's Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. Recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service to others. It encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation and inspires others to make volunteering a central part of their lives. The President's Volunteer Service Award recognizes individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard – measured by the number of hours served over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime. To date, the President's Council has partnered with more than 67 Leadership Organizations and more than 14,000 Certifying Organizations to bestow more than 400,000 awards to the Nation's deserving volunteers. ----------------------------------------------------------</p>

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<p>If you manage to do 4,000 hours of service and consequently get the Service award, that would impress many colleges, and you may qualify for community service-based merit scholarships at some.</p>

<p>When it comes to the very top colleges, they'd be impressed if you also had accomplished something significant through your service such as starting a program to help other people or raising a significant amount of money for charity. Otherwise, it may look to those colleges like you mindlessly put in the hours. Since those colleges want to select people who'll take leadership roles in a variety of fields -- including volunteer work -- they want people who develop viable service activities, not just drones who pile up hours by doing what they are told.</p>

<p>Incidentally, I have the Presidential Service award myself.</p>