Verdugo Hills Council Boy Scouts celebrate

The La Cañada Flintridge Country Club ballroom came alive as the Verdugo Hills Council-Boy Scouts of America volunteers gathered to celebrate another great Scouting year.

Executive Director Jon Maeda presented awards to many top volunteers, noting that the annual event grows every year, demonstrating to the Scouting community that programs for kids are vital and important. Serving the communities of Burbank, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Sunland, Tujunga, and parts of La Cañada and No. Hollywood, over 6,000 area youth receive the benefits of knowledge, enthusiasm and moral guidance of the top volunteer teams.

The Silver Beaver award is the highest honor a local Scout council can present to a volunteer. Longtime Scouting supporters Gail “Gabby” Farnsworth, David Potter, Lou Schwing and Mark Seip were honored as the 2007 Silver Beavers. Presented by Council President Bill James, along with past Silver Beaver recipients Barbara “Barbwire” Peterson, Bill O’Leary and Rahla Hall-Lindsey, this years honorees represent over 100 years of combined Scout service.

Troop 209, sponsored by Burbank First United Methodist Church, was the influential organization of featured Eagle Scout speaker Ryan Roope. Roope, whose father serves as the West Coast CNN Radio correspondent, spoke of the fun and excitement he experienced as a developing Scout. He challenged the crowd of Scout supporters to continue to lead the way in providing competent, compassionate leadership to the youth of our communities.

The 2008 executive board of directors of the Council, to be led in 2008 by Dennis Fors, was sworn in. Fors will be joined on the Council’s executive committee by Treasurer Dennis Barlow, Program V.P. Larry Widdis, Commissioner Thomas McLurkin, Membership V.P. Bernie Snider, Division/District chairs Rahla Hall-Lindsey, Gary Swaner and Joe Davenport. For the second year, Emil Dergevorkian of the Ararat Chapter and Western Region Homenetmen organization will give leadership and representation to Armenian Scouts throughout the Western Region, as a member of the executive committee. The Council has earned the National BSA designation of a Quality Council, an achievement of 10 indicators designed to recognize growth in service, recruitment, endowment and fund-raising, and quality program to youth members.

?

— Submitted by Jon Maeda