FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2022
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
12-YEAR-OLD FEMALE SCOUT FROM VIRGINIA BEACH RECEIVES SCOUTING’S HEROISM AWARD
Virginia Beach, Va. – Jocelyn Nicole Boily, age 12, received the Heroism Award from the Boy Scouts of America at a National Court of Honor. She is the first female youth in Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America to receive this prestigious award.
Boily was recognized for her courage and maturity during an RV fire at a Virginia Beach campground on April 6, 2022. She is a Star Scout from Scouts BSA Troop 1791, chartered by Nimmo United Methodist Church in Virginia Beach.
Boily (then an 11-year-old First Class Scout) was in her family’s RV on April 6 when she noticed that the RV parked just 15 feet away was on fire. The presence of compressed propane cylinders on both RVs presented a dangerous situation.
She immediately evacuated her younger brother and the family’s three dogs to a safe distance from the fire. She then returned to the scene to check on the occupant of the RV on fire. When it was clear the man was safe, Boily took over from her mother, who was hosing down the burning RV and wetting her own RV to prevent it from catching fire. Her mother then moved the family car away from the danger.
Local firefighters soon arrived and extinguished the fire. Once the fire was out, Boily passed out water to those who needed it. The firefighters on scene were amazed that the RV on fire was not completely burnt down to its foundation when they arrived and attributed the RV’s condition to Boily’s actions.
Firefighters remarked that had the burning RV become completely engulfed in flames, the fire would have quickly spread throughout the park. Boily’s actions saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal property damage and potentially saved numerous lives.
Boily was honored at a special recognition event on Thursday, September 29, 2022, at Indian Cove RV Resort, 1053 Sandbridge Road, Virginia Beach.
About the BSA Heroism Award
The Boy Scouts of America has five national awards to recognize members who attempt to save someone’s life or show extraordinary use of Scouting skills in a difficult situation. Three of these are lifesaving awards.
The Boy Scouts of America’s Heroism Award was first presented in 1977. The award honors youth members or adult leaders who demonstrate “heroism and skill in saving or attempting to save a life at minimal personal risk.”
About Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America
Tidewater Council is the fifth oldest Boy Scouts of America council in the United States, established in 1911. Today, the council serves approximately 4,000 youth and 2,000 adult volunteers in the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, and the North Carolina counties of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. Information about Tidewater Council is available by visiting TidewaterBSA.com, emailing james.parnell@scouting.org, or calling 757-497-2688.
About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is one of the nation’s foremost youth programs of character development and values-based leadership training. Since its inception in 1910, more than 130 million young men and women have participated in the BSA’s youth programs. More than 35 million adult volunteers have helped carry out the BSA’s mission.
BSA programs serve boys and girls ages five through 20, and their families, with age-appropriate curriculums that develop character, citizenship, leadership, and personal fitness.
More information about the Boy Scouts of America is available by visiting scouting.org.
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