Volunteers-In-Parks Program The George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service

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1 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Division of Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers Volunteers-In-Parks Program The George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service The George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service Award Categories The Hartzog Award for... - Outstanding Volunteer Service, Individual - Outstanding Volunteer Service, Youth - Outstanding Volunteer Service, Group - Outstanding Volunteer Service, Youth Group - Outstanding Park Volunteer Program - Enduring Service Award When a VIP agrees to share his talents, skills and interests with the National Park Service, he is paying us one of the highest compliments possible by offering a most valued possession his time. George B. Hartzog, Jr. made this statement on November 17, 1970 in a letter to all regional directors announcing the new Volunteers In Parks program. Director Hartzog led the National Park Service from 1964 to During his tenure, 70 sites were added to the National Park System and he championed historic preservation, urban recreation, interpretation and environmental education. Director Hartzog recognized the need to make it easier for citizens to donate, without compensation, their time and talents to the NPS and pushed through legislation creating the Volunteers In Parks Program. After his retirement, George and his wife Helen remembered the VIP program with a generous donation to the National Park Foundation. This fund has been used to support awards that honor the efforts of exceptional volunteers, groups, and park VIP programs. Award Purpose and Description The NPS created these awards to honor volunteers hard work, draw attention to their vast skills and contributions, and to stimulate development of innovative projects and volunteer involvement. The intent of the awards is to distinguish those individuals or groups who give of their skills, talents, and time beyond the normal call of duty. They are not awarded based solely on length of service. There are six awards: (1) The Hartzog Individual Volunteer Award recognizes outstanding contributions by an individual. (2) The Hartzog Youth Volunteer Award recognizes the contributions of youth under 18 years. (3) The Hartzog Volunteer Group Award recognizes contributions by an organized group. (4) The Hartzog Volunteer Youth Group Award recognizes contributions by an organized youth group. (5) The Hartzog Park Volunteer Program Award recognizes an exceptional park volunteer program. (6) The Hartzog Enduring Service Award recognizes an individual s sustained volunteer service for a period extending beyond one fiscal year. Nominations are due to WASO between January 1 and February 28, Please complete the following PDF form, save to your computer, and upload to the NPS Awards Nomination Portal.

2 Each category award recipient will receive the following: A crystal award engraved with the VIP logo A signed letter of congratulations from the Director A press release prepared by the Washington Office of Public Affairs and sent to the recipient s hometown newspaper and other media outlets A photo and brief description posted on NPS website An announcement in National Park Foundation publications Nomination for the Take Pride in America Awards Funding and Award The Hartzog Award is made possible by the National Park Foundation through a generous donation from George and Helen Hartzog, additional funding from corporate donors, and the NPS Volunteers In Parks Program. Eligibility and Criteria The volunteer, volunteers, or park VIP program manager nominated may work in any division or office of the National Park Service. Gradelevel, length of service or position with the NPS are not factors in selecting the recipient for the awards. Nominees will be judged independently. For consideration, all nominees must perform work that occurred during the previous fiscal year, October 1 September 30. All selections will be made based on 4 review areas: Magnitude of Work, Meeting the Mission, Challenges, and Partnerships. These are further described on the nomination forms. Submissions will be rated numerically in each of the 4 areas as well as considering the narratives, references, and following nomination instructions. (1) The Hartzog Individual Volunteer Award: The nominee must have a completed Form OF301a (Interagency Volunteer Agreement) on file and have provided significant service beyond usual duties. The exemplary work performed may include improving conditions for the resources, park facilities or operations, and/or visitors; developing community partnerships; and/or providing a positive, supportive work environment. (2) The Hartzog Youth Volunteer Award: For youth under the age of 18, the nominee must have a completed Form OF301a (Interagency Volunteer Agreement) on file and have provided significant service beyond usual duties. The exemplary work performed may include improving conditions for the resources, park facilities or operations, and/or visitors; developing community partnerships; and/ or providing a positive, supportive work environment. In addition, the nomination must clearly state how the nominee demonstrated individual responsibility, stewardship, leadership, and personal development. (3) The Hartzog Volunteer Group Award: For an organized group, the nominee must have a completed Form OF301a (Interagency Volunteer Agreement) on file and have provided significant service beyond usual duties. An organized group is defined as any collection of people working together under the guidance of a common goal or set of rules. A group has a leader who represents them and signs the paperwork. Examples of organized groups are special interest groups or clubs (hiking, living history, Sierra Club, fife and drum corps, etc.). The exemplary work performed may include improving conditions for the resources, park facilities or operations, and/or visitors; developing community partnerships; and/or providing a positive, supportive work environment. (4) The Hartzog Volunteer Youth Group Award: For an organized youth group, the nominee must have a completed Form OF301a (Interagency Volunteer Agreement) on file and have provided significant service beyond usual duties. An organized youth group is defined as any collection of youth under the age of 18 working together under the guidance of a common goal or set of rules. A youth group has a leader who represents them and signs the paperwork. Examples of organized youth groups are Boy and Girl Scout troops, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Camp Fire USA, Junior Achievement, and Citizen Science groups. The exemplary work performed may include improving conditions for the resources, park facilities or operations, and/or visitors; developing community partnerships; and/or providing a positive, supportive work environment. (5) The Hartzog Park VIP Program Award: For an overall VIP program, the nominee must provide service above and beyond required policies. An exemplary program may have improved conditions for the resources, park facilities or operations, and/or visitors; integrated a variety of park activities; built innovative community partnerships; and administered and/or created an extensive, well organized, efficient volunteer and/or recruitment program. (6) The Hartzog Enduring Service Award: For an individual whose service has had a sustained, positive impact on the National Park Service, the nominee must have a completed Form OF301a (Interagency Volunteer Agreement) on file. This award is meant to recognize those who have chosen to make a difference in parks or offices through specific volunteer work that has resulted in exceptional and lasting improvements in helping to advance the mission of the park or office where he/she volunteers or has volunteered. The work performed can take place over multiple years, and in one or more national park areas. In addition to the general criteria outlined for the individual

3 award, the nomination must clearly identify how the nominee s work has fulfilled a park s or office s needs, has had a positive impact and consequence on the National Park Service, and has made a lasting contribution. Nomination and Selection Process Any NPS volunteer or employee may submit a nomination. The nomination should include the following: 1. Completed attached nomination form; 2. Subsequent two page description addressing all four award criteria; 3. One letter or of support. Please inform nominees of the award nomination at the time of its submission. Nomination materials must be received in WASO between January 1 February 28, The Regional VIP Coordinators ensure that all necessary nomination materials are complete and select the regional winners for each category. Regional Coordinators submit the regional recipients and their nominations to WASO. The Servicewide VIP Program Coordinator sends out copies of the nominations to the national awards selection team. The team members include the Servicewide VIP Coordinator, a National Park Foundation representative, and Volunteer Coordinator from a sister agency. Award determinations are arrived at through consensus, not majority. All members of the selection team must agree that the individual or team meets the selection criteria and is indeed worthy of receiving an award. Timeline for FY 2017 Awards December 1, 2016 WASO announces January call for nominations Hartzog award information, criteria, and nomination form will be posted on InsideNPS. February 28, 2016 All award nominations due to WASO. Completed nomination packages should be uploaded to the NPS Awards Nomination Portal at me.aspx January 1 and February 28, Nominations sent after February 28 will not be accepted. If an electronic submission poses an extreme hardship, you may submit a hard copy nomination package to the following address, using FEDEX or UPS: Branch of Labor and Employee Relations National Park Service Office of Human Resources 1201 Eye Street. NW Washington, D.C. (202)

4 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Division of Interpretation and Education Volunteers In Parks Program The George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service Nomination Form for Fiscal Year 2016 (for work performed between October 1, 2015 and September 30, 2016) All Categories Hartzog Individual Volunteer Award Hartzog Youth Volunteer Award Hartzog Volunteer Group Award Hartzog Volunteer Youth Group Award Hartzog Park Volunteer Program Award Hartzog Enduring Service Award Nominee s Name (Individual or Group) Organization s Name Park/Site Address Nominee s Telephone (work/home) Home Address Nominee s Supervisor Supervisor s Telephone and Submitted By Telephone and Brief Summary of Exceptional Accomplishments:

5 Magnitude of Work: What was the extent of the work accomplished? What made the work, project, contribution, or program exceptional? Was the program well managed and efficient? In what ways did the nominee demonstrate creativity or originality? Meeting the Mission: How has the volunteer, group, or program improved conditions for the park facilities or operations, resources and/or visitors? How did the nominee support the NPS mission?

6 Challenges: Describe any challenges the nominee may have faced. Partnerships: How did the project or program build partnerships or boost public interest? Please explain.