2026 Silver Beaver Nominations

The Silver Beaver is the highest award that Scouting America Council can present in recognition of a volunteer’s exceptional service to Scouting at the Council level, youth outside of Scouting, and the community.  The National Council established the Silver Beaver Award in 1931 to recognize those who have provided distinguished service to Scouting.  Since then, over 50,000 scouters have been recognized nationally.  Each local council is authorized by the National Council of Scouting America to confer the Silver Beaver Award on those individuals who have made an exceptional and noteworthy impact on Scouting on the Council level and the community.

The Silver Beaver award is to recognize exceptional Council-level contribution by Suffolk County Council’s volunteers.  Every one of us knows someone who has made a noteworthy impact on the lives of youth through service given to Suffolk County Council and our communities.  The recognition of these Scouting volunteers depends on you. 

 

The time to submit Silver Beaver Nominations is from November 1st - Wednesday, January 7th, 2026 by 5:00PM – NO EXCEPTIONS OR EXTENSIONS 

You can nominate those scouters with 3 options:

  1. Through the online registration at the bottom of this page. After Nomination Guidelines and Instructions.

  2. You can DOWNLOAD the Silver Beaver Nomination physical form. Download button is after the Silver Beaver Knot image. Fill it out the submission form and mail it to:

           SCCBSA

           1 Independence Hill Suite 202

           Farmingville, NY 11738

        3. Scan and email the physical copy to the following corresponding District email:

 

2025 Silver Beaver Selection Committee Members
         

District Representatives

First
Name

Last
Name

Email

Phone

Benjamin Tallmadge

David

June

Djune78@gmail.com

631-987-4895

Matinecock

Greg

Aylmer

bsataxi@optonline.net

631-664-0089

Sagtikos

Karl

Fritch

Kfritch@aol.com

631-435-0819

Trailblazer

Martin

Minogue

mminogue4@optonline.net

631-739-3700

Council Representative

Don

Ghee

matbuff@yahoo.com

646-483-5900

Committee Chair

Ellen

Gherardi

Ellengh1026@gmail.com

631-921-4963

Council Liaison

Jim

Grimaldi

james.grimaldi@scouting.org

631-356-5152

 

Last year's (2025) Class of Silver Beaver Recipients:

Steve Gellar

David June

Max Klein

Thomas Rolston

 

Ceremony:

Council Fellowship Awards Dinner

Thursday, March 19, 2026 – 6:30pm

For Dinner tickets please click HERE.

 

 

Silver Beaver Nomination Requirements, Guidelines, and Instructions:

Please read the following instructions in its entirety before beginning.  Make sure to enter candidate's name and information on all four pages (if turning in a physical copy).

Mandatory Requirements:           

  1. Candidates for the award must be a registered volunteer Scouter with Suffolk County Council, BSA.
  2. They must be at least 21 years of age.
  3. The Silver Beaver award is made for noteworthy Council-level service of exceptional character to youth by a Scouter within the territory under the jurisdiction of Suffolk County Council

General Guidelines:

  1. While not mandatory, ten years of active scouting service to youth in Scouting is desirable.  However, tenure is not a requirement.
  2. Candidates should have provided service to youth outside of Scouting.
  3. The Candidates service should be regarded as outstanding or distinctive beyond the expectation of normal duty.
  4. The nominee has an exemplary record of service, reputation, and standing in the community

Nomination Instructions:

  1. Read the nomination form carefully before attempting to complete.
  2. At no time should the candidate know that they are being nominated for the Silver Beaver Award.
  3. No Scouter may nominate themselves nor promote themselves for nomination/selection.
  4. The nominator should make sure that the application is as complete as possible.  This will require that they gain information from Scouting, Community and family members in order to ensure completeness and accuracy.
  5. Make sure that the information is factual and detailed.  The nominator’s contact information at the end of this form should also be complete in case any clarification or additional information is required.
  6. Nominations cannot be considered for posthumous awards.
  7. This form is available electronically, through Suffolk County Council BSA Website www.sccbsa.org.
  8. The application includes three main areas: service to Scouting; service to other community organizations; service to youth outside of scouting.
  9. For religious service, just being a member of a church or synagogue does not constitute noteworthy service.  Similarly, this also holds true for Scouting and other community organizations.
  10. Testimonials or personal recommendations are not permitted.
  11. For business and professional service, this refers to the candidate’s affiliation with industry group/societies and does not refer to positions the candidate has held in earning his/her living.
  12. More than one application per candidate does not improve the candidates' chances of receiving the award.  One comprehensive application is desired.
  13. Nominations are not carried forward to the next year.  The candidate's nomination must be updated and resubmitted.

 

Silver Beaver Nomination Form Is Below:

 

File Name Description
2026 Silver Beaver Nomination Form Download