Boy Scouts Announce 2012 Distinguished Citizen Honorees

The Boy Scouts of America, Three Fires Council will honor members with the Distinguished Citizen and Corporate Award at a luncheon on Friday, October 12, 2012 at the Hotel Arista in Naperville from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. This year's Distinguished Citizen honoree is Robert M. Beavers Jr., Chairman and CEO of Beavers Holdings, and the Distinguished Corporate honoree is Plano Molding.

2012 will be the 40th year of this annual benefit luncheon in support of the Three Fires Council, Boy Scouts of America. The first DCL was in 1972 where the organization honored, Ray Kroc of McDonald's. This October the community is invited to gather and celebrate Scouting and its newest Distinguished Citizen, Robert M. Beavers Jr. and Corporate honoree, Plano Molding.

The Distinguished Citizen and Corporate awards recognize members who have dedicated themselves to community service and to the welfare and development of its youth. Past award recipients include dignitaries such as; Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, Gordon Flesh Company, Richard J. McCann of McCann Industries, Former Governor, James R. Thompson, and Caterpillar Inc.

The proceeds from the event will support programming throughout the councils four county service area, and the ScoutReach program that ensures Scouting's leadership and character-building benefits are available to those youth who are most at risk and often overlooked by other youth programs.

Scouting relies on strong positive role models,” said Matt Ackerman, Scout Executive for the Three Fires Council, Boy Scouts of America. “Our honorees care deeply about our communities and are excellent role models for our youth to strive to emulate,” said Ackerman.

Donations from residents, businesses and community members are a crucial part of the Boy Scouts ability to fund quality programs within the Chicagoland area for the youth. In July, the Boy Scouts of America, Three Fires Council received a donation from Camping World, the nation's largest RV and outdoor retailer, to assist its ScoutReach program. The funding will be used by the Boy Scouts for sponsoring day camps and to reinforce the community outreach program that works to ensure that all young people have an opportunity to join Scouting, regardless of their circumstances, neighborhood, or ethnic background.

“My hopes are that other local businesses will see the importance of organizations such as the Boy Scouts to their communities and the mentoring of our youth and make a bold statement with their donations and support,” said Roger Nuttall, President of Camping World RV Sales. “It's a community effort that is absolutely going to make a difference for the kids in our community.”

If interested in supporting or sponsoring the 2012 Distinguished Citizen Luncheon, please contact Nancy.Loftus@Scouting.org or (630) 797-4618.

Three Fires Council, BSA serves youth throughout Kane, DuPage, Kendall, DeKalb, and parts of Will and Cook counties. Our mission is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. For more information please visit www.threefirescouncil.org or www.BeAScout.org ###