Volunteer service must have been performed at any time during the 12-month period of Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016. The recognition ceremony is for all volunteers and is not qualifies by number of hours contributed, however, registration wit the installation volunteer coordinator and submission of hours through the Volunteer Management Information System, or VMIS, is highly encouraged.
The award is open to active duty, family members, retirees and Department of Defense civilians. There are five categories in which volunteers may be nominated: individual, family, teen, small group (less than 50) and large group (more than 50).
Another award noination also being accepted is the Voluteer Excellence Award, or VEA. This award was established to recognize federal civilians, family members, military retirees and federal retirees of all branches who perform outstanding volunteer community service of a sustained, direct and consequential nature.
This lifetime achievement award, authorized by the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, recognizes exceptional long-term community support that is significant in character, produces tangible results and reflects favorably on the U.S. armed forces.
The VEA is intended to honor direct support of community activities that may have been performed over time, to include that from another military installation or local civilian community. The service performed must have been on a volutary basis, not as part of a tasking and must not have resulted in any personal gain. This award is not for active duty service members.
Also recognized during the ceremony will be recipients of the Military Oustanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Presidential Volunteer Award and the Points of Light awards for the 2016 calendar year.
Nomination forms can be found at http://www.jbsa.mil/Military-Family-Readiness/Volunteer-Resources or by call the volunteer office at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston at 221-9849, at JBSA-Randolph ar 652-5321 or the JBSA-Lackland office at 672-3722.