Breaking news here at Apogee: we’ve recently been recognized as a Certifying Organization for the President’s Volunteer Service Award!
If you’re familiar with Apogee, you know that community service is a hallmark of each and every one of our programs. Giving back makes our trips more well-rounded and better for everyone – better for the communities we serve and better for our students. Whether a student enrolls on a hiking, cycling, or writing trip, Apogee does its best to ensure every student will engage in at least several hours of substantive, meaningful service work.
Trip depending, service projects on Apogee trips include maintaining trails in National Parks, volunteering in sustainable gardens, engaging with local kids at Boys & Girls Clubs, and donating time and energy at various Food Banks around the country and around the world. Our goal is to nurture generosity and community-mindedness in our students, and to plant the seeds for future stewardship. Over the years, Apogee students have spent thousands of hours volunteering in numerous communities across the US, Caribbean, and Europe – and we’re now able to recognize their achievements through the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
The President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is the premier national volunteer awards program, encouraging citizens to live a life of service through presidential gratitude and national recognition. This past week, Apogee was formally recognized as a Certifying Organization. As a Certifying Organization, Apogee not only provides service opportunities to our students, but also has the authority to administer the Award to participants. Over the course of a year, teenagers who volunteer between 50-74 hours of service are eligible to receive the Bronze Award, volunteers with 75-99 hours will receive the Silver, and those that serve over 100 hours will receive the Gold Award.
We are thrilled to be a part of this organization, and we hope to continue to provide our students with not only meaningful projects, but also the desire to give back to their own families and communities.
To learn more about PVSA, how to get involved, or to find PVSA-certified volunteer opportunities in your area, please check out their website: http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/. And, of course, to learn more about our service opportunities, call us at 207-725-7025 or write to us at info@apogeeadventures.com any time!