The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) recognized hundreds of thousands of students nationwide for their commitment to service. Presented

by the Points of Light Foundation, the award was granted to students at various levels (bronze, silver, and gold) in accordance with their age group and corresponding service hours.

As of May 2025, the 22 year legacy of civic participation on part of the PVSA was halted when the Trump administration placed the award on a temporary pause. Now, schools and community organizations alike have to find other ways to keep the tradition of volunteerism alive.

In the Barrington area, Community Connections Coordinator Lisa Horcher is seeking other ways to honor the impact of student volunteers. She initially considered existing recognitions such as the Cook County Sheriff’s Award, but that would exclude recipients from other counties in the district. When her research came to a dead end, she took strides in a different direction: creating a new award.

“I started reaching out to some organizations like the state government to see if we can create the State of Illinois Community Service Award and have it endorsed by our governor,” Horcher said. “I’m taking baby steps so far, but I’ve gotten a state senator and a state representative that think it’s an awesome idea.”

The new award has gained approval thus far, but the process is not free from roadblocks. With student safety at the forefront of administrative concerns, sharing recipient information with the state of Illinois poses some privacy issues.

“I’m waiting to hear from my boss to see if I can share these student names with the state of Illinois because I have to make sure that our student information is protected,” Horcher said.

In the current tense political environment, keeping student information safe is more important than ever. This is especially true when this data is being sent to state officials affiliated with a certain political party. In an effort to ensure the award does not become politicized, Horcher is advocating to keep it bipartisan.

“Since we have a Democratic governor, I don’t want it to be a Democratic award because of the political implications,” Horcher said.

At the moment, Horcher is waiting for approval from the administrative level to continue the process of developing a state-wide volunteer award. She says that if this does not come to fruition, then they will develop a District 220 Superintendent Volunteer Service Award to recognize student service of 100 hours or more.

At the end of the day, Horcher recognizes that the impact of student volunteerism on the community says far more about a person than an award ever could.

“Even if kids don’t get a certificate, because the President’s Volunteer Service Award is just a certificate and a letter, it’s the ability to put volunteer work on your resume when you’re applying to colleges that’s important. You’re still able to share with colleges the quality person that you are, regardless of whether you have that piece of paper award or not,” Horcher said.