NP Silver Beaver

The Silver Beaver Award is a national recognition presented upon action of the Baltimore Area Council Executive Board for outstanding service to youth within the Council or for outstanding longtime service to youth by a registered Scouter residing within the Council.

The number of awards that may be presented each year is limited. The selection process is very competitive with many highly-deserving individuals nominated for the limited allocation.

Candidates for this award must be nominated. Self-nomination disqualifies the candidate.

There are two ways anyone may influence this selection process: by nominating a worthy individual; or, by supporting the nomination made by someone else for a worthy individual.

Nominator – Any individual can submit a nomination for a registered Scouter they feel is deserving of this recognition.

It is a good idea to check with the chairperson of the district’s Advancement and Recognitions Committee or the District Chairman to ensure there is a coordinated effort for a nomination.

A nominator should contact others to write letters in support of the nomination and provide those letters to the nominator for inclusion in the nomination package. The letters should be addressed to the council’s Distinguished Awards Committee. The nominator should solicit letters from individuals who have personal knowledge of the nominee’s efforts providing outstanding service to youth. The individuals do not have to be involved in Scouting themselves; letters from religious and civic organization members as well as from employers and school personnel can be very helpful and carry great weight with the reviewers.

The nominator should obtain as much specific information about the nominee’s Scouting career and other general background information as practical. This task must be handled with sensitivity as the nominator should ensure everyone has been made aware to keep the nomination in confidence. Nominees should not be aware of any action on his/her behalf in order to avoid possible disappointment. Nominators may find it helpful to provide others with a biographical snapshot of the nominee when requesting support for the nomination.

Nomination packages must be complete, with all supporting material included, at the time of submission. All material should be typed or neatly printed (must be very legible). It is highly recommended that the entire package be placed in a three ring binder with all individual pages placed in sheet protectors. Any loose sheets are likely to be separated from the package and not available for the selection process. The complete nomination package must be received in the council office by November 1st. A photo of the nominee is needed for the selection committee. Don’t wait until the last minute to submit the nomination package with the application form and all supporting information.

Supporter of a Nomination – Any individual can support a nomination for a Scouter being nominated by writing a letter and providing it to the nominator to be included in the nomination package which is submitted to the council. Word gets around at Roundtable and other activities with information about who is nominating someone.

Don’t wait until the last minute to provide letters in support of a nomination to the nominator coordinating the application and package submittal.

Forms for the Silver Beaver Award –there are two: the BSA form the council submits to the National Council; and, the Baltimore Area Council form the nominator uses to submit a nomination package to the council for consideration. The Council nomination form can be found HERE.

Do not use the National form, or send it to the Texas address indicated on that form; instead, use only the local council form and submit it to the Baltimore Area Council office:

SILVER BEAVER SELECTION COMMITTEE
BALTIMORE AREA COUNCIL, B.S.A.
701 WYMAN PARK DRIVE
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21211
443-573-2500

REQUIREMENTS FOR AWARD:

1. The nominee for the award must be a registered volunteer Scouter within the Baltimore Area Council.

2. The nominee must be 21 years of age or older.

3. The nominee must have rendered noteworthy service of exceptional character to youth. It is recognized that the nature and value of noteworthy service to youth might take the form of a single plan of various activities which vitally affected the lives of a large number of youth or that the service might be given to a small group over an extended period of time.

Note that the District Award of Merit is not a pre-requisite for the Silver Beaver Award.

Nominations – If you have any questions check with the District Advancement Chair or the District Chair.