About

Volunteer Scholars was established in 2022 to encourage volunteerism, leadership, and scholarship among students. The founder of Volunteer Scholars, Jennifer Grove-Bradshaw, has been a leader in education since 2012. She was a certifier for the President’s Volunteer Service Awards from 2017-2025 and the American Citizenship Award since 2019. Originally, certifying for only a small, select population of students in northern Virginia, Ms. Bradshaw was touched by the overwhelming interest from around the country by students who desired- and deserved- recognition with these prestigious awards. Learning that most certifying organizations are very limited in their reach, Ms. Bradshaw set out to create a nationwide network of volunteers committed to community service, leadership, scholarship, and citizenship. Volunteer Scholars is supported by a team of reviewers and advisors who have among themselves decades of experience serving as volunteers and coordinating other volunteers.

Following are some statistics on the awards and student members in recent years and organizations that volunteers have worked with.

Below is a list of organizations that Volunteer Scholars members have worked for, organized by state and by organization name. Remember, volunteers typically find opportunities in their own communities and are not limited to organizations on this list. Refer to this list for ideas.

For the PVSA, beneficiary organizations do not have to be PVSA certified, but members’ volunteer work must conform to all requirements of the award.