The Mid-America Council is proud to announce Tom Osborne, University of Nebraska athletic director, as Citizen of the Year.

Osborne will be honored at the 38th Annual Citizen of the Year luncheon on June 24, at 12 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Central, 3321 South 72nd Street.

The Council’s Citizen of the Year Award will be presented to Osborne for his leadership, integrity, honor and compassion. He and his wife, Nancy, founded the TeamMates program in 1991. This program provides support and encouragement to school-aged youth with the goal of seeing children graduate from high school and pursue a post-secondary education. Osborne continuously contributes to building youth leadership skills and supports the community.

Both Osborne and the Mid-America Council, Boy Scouts of America are dedicated to youth and the community. The Mid-America Council provides an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, learn citizenship and to develop personal fitness.

Previous recipients of this award include: Walter Scott, Jr. (1988), Bruce Lauritzen (1995), Bill Fitzgerald (1996), John Gottschalk (1998), Ken Stinson (2003), David Sokol (2005) and John P. Nelson (2006).

Tickets to the Citizen of the Year luncheon are on sale now and can be purchased by contacting Melinda Auch, 402.431.9BSA (9272).

Popularity: 26% [?]

The Revolutionary Trails Council selection committee is very pleased to announce that William Garrett of Minsi Trails Council, Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania has accepted our offer to become Scout Executive of the Revolutionary Trails Council on March 1, 2008.

Bill was raised in Ravenswood, West Virginia, a place his mother, father, and grandparents still call home. He was active in Pack & Troop 43 where he and his father developed their passion for fishing and outdoor activities. Bill received his Bachelor of Science in Business administration from the University of Charleston. During college, he was involved in student government, student activities and served two terms as President of his fraternity.

His first professional scouting position was with the Buckskin Council in Charleston as District Executive in 1995, progressing to Senior District Executive and Field Director by July 2000 where he was responsible for leadership of a territory of 16 counties in two states in areas of membership, camp management and the Learning for Life program.

After visiting countless potential charter organizations and spending at least 1 ½ years working to start a new Pack in Spanishburg, WV, Bill was rewarded for his hard work - being introduced to his future wife by the new Cubmaster (her sister). Bill and Sheila married in 2002 and are the very proud parents of Katie, who is almost 2.

In March 2003, he was recruited to be Finance Director of Simon Kenton Council, Columbus, Ohio where he was liaison with 6 United Way Offices and directly responsible for $890,000 in major gifts, project sales, special events and United Way allocations.

Bill joined Minsi Trails Council in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania in December 2004. Since then he has provided leadership to a field staff of six executives and four district committees. His service area includes over 8,000 youth members in 280 units and generates over $1.4 million in revenue. Youth retention was increased to 73% and the council became #1 nationally in percentage trained direct contact leaders. Minsi Trails Council achieved Quality Council in 2005, 2006 and 2007. His accomplishments are great and he brings personal strengths of volunteer cultivation, staff leadership, strategy development, fund raising, fiscal management,
camp management and effective communications.

Popularity: 22% [?]

The York-Adams Area Council welcomes Sally Dixon as the new council president. Dixon has served on the council executive board since 1997 where she has been involved with the finance committee and Distinguished Citizens Dinners. Dixon is the President and CEO of Memorial Health Systems. In addition to her work and commitment to Boy Scouts, Dixon has also been involved with United Way of York County, American Red Cross, Better York, American Heart Association, White Rose Foundation, and the Cultural Alliance of York.

Dixon’s involvement with Boy Scouts stems from belief that children benefit from a strong foundation in order to grow and develop. As council president, Dixon feels one of her most important responsibilities is to support volunteers and ensure they have the resources needed to deliver quality programs to our Scouts.

Popularity: 15% [?]