Ruritan Scout Leader Service Award

In recognition of Ruritan’s contributions to America’s future in association with the Boy Scouts of America and other Scouting organizations, the Board of Directors of Ruritan National established the Ruritan Scout Leader Service Award. It recognizes Ruritan members in good standing who have made a significant contribution to the youth of their communities by volunteering in the programs of Scouting organizations.

The Ruritan Scout Leader Service Award was introduced in 2005. The award, a recognition approved by Ruritan National, gives local Ruritan Clubs an opportunity to nominate Ruritan members to be recognized for their service to youth, and also makes the public aware of the important role Ruritans play in the community. The Application and Selection for the Ruritan Scout Leader Service Award.

Ruritan Scout Leader Service Awards will, to the maximum extent possible, be presented annually at the Ruritan National convention. The Ruritan National selection committee makes the final determination on all recipients. The award will consist of public recognition of the recipient’s accomplishments, an appropriate Ruritan recognition certificate, and authorization for the recipient to wear the BSA square knot patch (or other scout organization’s recognition piece) on the recipient’s Scout uniform.

The recommended procedure for selecting a recipient of the Ruritan Scout Leader Service Award is as follows:
Ruritan National invites all Ruritan Clubs to submit their candidates for the award. Any person, group, or affiliated scout council may likewise nominate a Scout Leader / Ruritan member for the Ruritan Scout Leader Service Award. The nominees may be submitted through the local Ruritan club or directly to the Scout council. In any event, they must have the local Ruritan Club’s recommendation and Ruritan National’s approval (note: for awarding at the Ruritan National Convention, all nominations must be at Ruritan National by November 1.).

Ruritan National makes the final selection of the recipients from the candidates submitted, notifies the nominating club of the action taken, and forwards the recipient’s contact information to the appropriate scouting organization’s national headquarters for recording.

Qualification Guidelines

The nominating local Ruritan Club may develop its own standards for submittal, but should consider such factors as the nominee’s record in:

• Forming Scouting units, especially those operated by Ruritan Clubs.
• Recruiting Ruritan members to become scout leaders and to be involved in units operated by Ruritan Clubs or other community organizations.
• Promoting and expanding the use of the BSA Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge, including serving as or recruiting other Ruritan members to serve as Merit Badge Counselors.
• Making a significant contribution to Ruritan and scouting by bringing the two movements together to serve the community.
• Taking scout leader training and setting a good example for youth, particularly in service to the community.
• Promoting Scouting for all youth, regardless of race, creed, or disabling condition.

Although a nominee’s length of service in Scouting may be considered, no specific number of years should be required. A person’s record of accomplishment and dedication should weigh more heavily than longevity.