VECINOS Volunteer Service Award Program
Volunteering Excellence, Community Impact & Noteworthy Outstanding Service
Celebrating Service and Building Bridges in South Pasadena
Vecinos de South Pasadena is proud to launch the VECINOS Volunteer Service Award program, inspired by the President’s Volunteer Service Award. This initiative recognizes the incredible contributions of students and adults in South Pasadena, including DREAMers, who dedicate their time to making a positive impact on our community. You can earn both awards simultaneously, if you qualify*.
Award Highlights
- For U.S. Citizens and Legal Residents: Eligible students may apply for the President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) as well as the VECINOS award.
- For DREAMers: Vecinos offers a parallel award to honor their outstanding service.
- High school students planning on applying for a Vecinos scholarship should know that volunteer hours are weighted by the award committee.
Volunteer Eligibility
To qualify for these awards, participants must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (green card holder) for PVSA; DREAMers are eligible for the Vecinos award.
- Be at least 5 years old.
- Complete eligible volunteer service within a 12-month period for annual Bronze, Silver, or Gold Awards or over a lifetime for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Volunteering hours need not be exclusively for Vecinos, but a combination of volunteering for Vecinos and other organizations combined. You may track and add volunteering hours for other organizations in addition to Vecinos, such as: AYSO, SPHS Latinx Club, SPHS Key Club, South Pasadena Tournament of Roses (SPTOR), South Pasadena Arts Council (SPARC), Friends of the South Pasadena Library, South Pasadena Summer Reading Program, South Pasadena Beautiful, etc. To be sure, please get the organization you’d like to volunteer for verified by our award program manager before assuming.
| Age Group | Bronze | Silver | Gold | Lifetime Achievement Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids (5–10 years old) | 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 |
Eligible Service Activities
Volunteering must be unpaid and benefit others. Examples include:
- Help Vecions on the 4th of July at the parade, on craft days at the library or farmers market.
- Helping with community projects.
- Volunteering through schools, nonprofits, or community organizations.
- Reffing games for AYSO.
- Service through National Service programs like Peace Corps or AmeriCorps (these hours are counted only for Lifetime Achievement Awards).
- Environmental work like beach or river clean up, trail restoration, tree planting or volunteering for the South Pasadena Community Garden, Arlington Garden or Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden.
- Helping the Pasadena animal shelter by walking or bathing dogs, or cleaning their kennels. They also need help with their social media, photographing animals, etc., this helps find pets new homes.
- Collecting, sorting, bagging food for a local pantry or toiletries for a local shelter.
- Organize and lead a Shoe Drive for Soles for Souls, or an eyeglass drive for Assist International (collected by Costco). These organizations take our old shoes and eye glasses and get them to people in need.
- Washing cars or selling lemonade to raise funds for an animal shelter or cancer society.
- Volunteer at a local nursing home by bringing a sense of home to residents. Ideas include: playing card games, hosting dances or musical performances, host bingo night, decorate the corridors and bedrooms for the changing seasons, help residents tidy up their rooms.
- For more ideas Google “finding volunteer opportunities near me.” If you need more ideas, reach out to us and we’ll help you find something local that matches your interests!
Ineligible Activities
The following do not qualify as eligible volunteer service:
- Simply donating funds to an organization.
- Political lobbying (though non-partisan voter registration is allowed).
- Religious instruction or proselytizing.
- Conducting worship services.
- Court-ordered community service.
- Serving only family members.
- Attending regular meetings of an organization such as Latinx Club, Boy or Girl Scout meetings.
- Fundraising activities for a member’s own organization. For example, time spent earning money through the sale of Boy Scout popcorn, Girl scout cookies, Latinx Club pizza day, etc., these cannot be counted as community service. However, efforts to raise money for another charitable organization, such as a car wash or lemonade stand to raise funds for the animal shelter or cancer society, could be counted.
Get Started Today!
Join us in celebrating the spirit of service and inclusivity. This program not only acknowledges the dedication of students but also strengthens our community bonds, bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to share the richness of Latino culture and build a brighter future for all. Email us to get started at volunteer@vecinosdesouthpasadena.org with subject VECINOS AWARD!