Strengthening Global Connections Through Volunteerism and Civic Engagement: U.S. and U.K. Honor Point of Light Honorees

As part of the celebrations for the coronation of King Charles III, the U.S. and U.K. are joining hands to recognize individuals who are making a significant difference in their communities through volunteering. Daily Point of Light honorees from the U.S., including Hollis Belger, Daily Point of Light honoree #7214, Daniel Craig, Daily Point of Light honoree #7456 and Maxwell Surprenant, Daily Point of Light honoree #7094, will be joined by daily Points of Light honorees from the U.K. The two groups are coming together in an effort to foster and facilitate volunteerism and civic engagement around the world.  

The Prime Minister’s Office and the U.K. Points of Light will be hosting a lunch at 10 Downing Street on May 7 where recipients of the U.K. Points of Light Award and Commonwealth Points of Light Award will be in attendance. On May 8, to mark His Majesty The King’s Coronation, thousands of organizations across the United Kingdom will come together as part of The Big Help Out, a nationwide event to raise awareness of volunteering throughout the U.K. and provide opportunities for people to experience volunteering and make a difference in their communities. The U.S. and U.K. groups will participate through the Green Park Planting, a project of the Royal Parks that has participants planting a selection of native wildflowers in Green Park, an area where floral tributes were laid for Her Late Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II.  

Points of Light is a global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. The organization has been instrumental in recognizing individuals who lead, lend support and take action for causes they care about. President George H.W. Bush, the founder of Points of Light, was the first president in American history to institute a daily presidential recognition program from the White House. He conferred 1,020 Daily Point of Light Awards on citizens and organizations making a difference in other people’s lives and solving community problems.  

Today, Points of Light continues this recognition and has more than 7,500 honorees to date. The Daily Point of Light Award uplifts individuals who create meaningful change to meet community needs, efforts that often lead to long-term solutions and impact social problems in their local communities.  

The U.K. Daily Points of Light Award was developed in partnership with Points of Light in 2014 and launched in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street. Similar to the Daily Point of Light Award, the U.K. daily Points of Light Award recognizes individuals who are making a change in their community through volunteering. The Commonwealth Points of Light Award, which was given out by Her Late Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II, was established to recognize individuals from Commonwealth countries.  

“We celebrate the idea of points of light on both sides of the Atlantic. If we strengthen global connections and enrich our daily experiences with pervasive calls to serve, we can make volunteerism and civic engagement more accessible, inclusive and impactful,” said Points of Light Interim President and CEO Diane Quest.  

About Points of Light  

Points of Light is a global nonprofit organization that inspires, equips and mobilizes millions of people to take action that changes the world. The organization operates through a Global Network of 145 leading social impact and volunteer-mobilizing organizations operating in 39 countries. It engages 3.7 million volunteers in 16.7 million hours of service, contributing $498.7 million of value in people power into communities around the world. To learn more about Points of Light and its initiatives, please visit pointsoflight.org.    

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