HILLSDALE—Congratulations to Hillsdale’s Giza Miller-Pringle, who has been awarded the prestigious President’s Volunteer Service Medal for completing more than 100 hours of volunteer work in a year, earning the gold-level recognition.
In 2003, the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation founded the President’s Volunteer Service Award to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity.
Led by the AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows Certifying Organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers.
A student at George White Middle School, Giza began her volunteering journey at the young age of 6, inspired by her mother, Rebecca Miller-Pringle, a U.S. Army veteran and the first woman commander of North Bergen Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2648.
Rebecca, who instilled a sense of patriotism and service in her children, tells Pascack Press that volunteering became a cornerstone of their lives as they faced personal challenges. Giza was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma at just 10 months old, undergoing numerous treatments and left legally blind in one eye.
Volunteering became a way for Giza and her mother to stay positive and give back to their community.
Together, they have supported veterans and their families at local VFW posts, organizing social activities, decorating for events, and cleaning up afterward.
Giza, known for her beautiful singing voice, often performs the national anthem at events.
This year, she was named the 2024 Poppy Girl for VFW Post 2648, raising money by distributing poppies. She rode in the Veterans Day Parade in Bayonne alongside a former Disabled American Veterans commander.
One of Giza’s projects involved collecting and sending Girl Scout cookies and toiletries to troops overseas; another saw her deliver holiday gifts to veterans at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood.
Giza recently earned second place in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriot’s Pen essay contest, writing about the theme, Is America Today Our Forefathers’ Vision? Her essay won her a $50 prize from Bogota VFW Post 5561.
A budding entrepreneur, Giza also crafts and sells bracelets, donating part of the proceeds to her church while saving the rest for college—and treating herself occasionally. Driven by her love for animals and the bond she shares with her service dog, Fluffy, and her cat, Rosie, she aspires to become a veterinarian.