The Volunteer Service Award 

The Junior League of Central Westchester (“JLCW”) is awarding up to four $1000 Volunteer Service Awards, each to a female high school junior as of March 2026. Each recipient of this award will be a young woman who has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to volunteerism and public service, reflecting the award's mission to promote community engagement and support the development of young women. 

The four awards will be offered to students in the Westchester communities of Armonk, Bedford, Bedford Hills, Briarcliff, Chappaqua, Dobbs Ferry, Eastchester, Greenburgh, Katonah, Pleasantville, Mount Pleasant, Mount Kisco, Pound Ridge, Scarsdale, Somers, White Plains and Yorktown. The JLCW will announce the award recipients in April 2026.

Who We Are 

The JLCW is an organization of approximately 240 women from Central and Northern Westchester. For over 75 years, the JLCW has been working with local non-profit organizations to identify community needs and develop effective and responsive programs to serve those needs. The JLCW provides leadership, volunteers and funding for all of our community projects. We are committed to training volunteers and promoting volunteering for life.  

Application Deadline and Online Forms

All applications (including letters of reference) must be submitted by March 13, 2026. Applications should be submitted online by eligible students through the application form (https://tinyurl.com/vsa-app-2026).

Recommendations should be submitted online through a separate form (https://tinyurl.com/vsa-rec-2026) directly by the individuals the student has identified on their application as their references.

If you have any questions, please call the JLCW at (914) 723-6130 or email communitydev@jlcentralwestchester.org.

Award Criteria 

The JLCW will consider all applicants who meet the following criteria: 

• Female 
• Current high school junior 
• Lives or attends high school in Armonk, Bedford, Bedford Hills, Briarcliff, Chappaqua, Eastchester, Greenburgh, Katonah, Mount Pleasant, Mount Kisco, Pleasantville, Pound Ridge, Scarsdale, Somers, White Plains and Yorktown.
• Has demonstrated a commitment to volunteerism and/or public service between September 2023 through March 2026. 

Each applicant must submit the following documents: 

1. Applicant Information Section 
2. Essay  ranging between 250 – 400 words in length, describing how the applicant and the organization(s) and/or student group(s) at which the applicant volunteered benefited from the applicant’s volunteer work. 
3. Letters of reference - organizations from TWO organizations and/or student group(s) at which the applicant has demonstrated her commitment to volunteerism. These letters must be submitted directly by the individual responsible for supervision of the applicant’s work using the online form https://tinyurl.com/vsa-rec-2026. It is the student's responsibility to provide the reference writers with this URL. Each letter of reference should include the following: 
1. Description of volunteer activities performed by applicant 
2. Estimate of the number of people impacted by applicant’s volunteer work 
3. How the organization and/or student group and/or student body benefited from the applicant’s volunteer work 
4. Duration of applicant’s volunteer work (start through end dates) and average number of volunteer service hours per month 
5. Average hours per month (if any) that applicant worked at a paying job during the school year 
4. Letter of reference - guidance counselor from applicant’s high school guidance counselor. It is the student's responsibility to provide their counselor with the URL https://tinyurl.com/vsa-rec-2026 where the counselor will submit their letter. 

Review Process 

If the review committee has questions regarding the application, follow-up calls/ emails may be conducted with the applicant, the references and/or the guidance counselor and virtual meetings may be requested.