FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2026
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
Virginia Beach, Va. – Three local Scouting America leaders have received the 2025 Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Tidewater Council. First introduced in 1931, the prestigious award recognizes volunteer leaders who have provided distinguished service to youth. These three exemplary leaders have given untold amounts of their time and talents to serve the needs of local youth Scouts.
Laura Bussiere is proud to be from a Scouting family and was “born” into Pack 374 in Virginia Beach, where her mother was a Den Leader. She remains part of Pack 374, both as an Assistant Cubmaster and Lion Den Leader.
As a youth, Laura was a member of the Girl Scouts Council of the Colonial Coast, starting as a Daisy and progressing through the ranks to Junior. She knew then that she wanted to participate in Venturing and was gifted a Venturing shirt as a 13th-birthday present, along with a promise to revive Crew 179 the following year.
During her time in Crew 179, Laura participated in the National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) program and returned as a staffer several times, including at Cape Fear Council during her undergraduate studies at UNC Wilmington. Her pinnacle Venturing experience was participating in the inaugural National Scout Jamboree at the Bechtel Summit Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia, in July 2013.
Laura joined the 2019 World Scout Jamboree staff as part of the Puma Patrol. This experience opened her eyes to the world of International Scouting that is available to young people. After the 2022 World Scout Moot was canceled, Laura traveled with her parents to the United Kingdom and Switzerland, where they visited Gilwell Park and the Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC).
This trip motivated Laura to apply for a staff position at KISC. She soon was fortunate to be part of the KISC Summer 2023 Short-Term Staff team as a Hiking Guide. Laura spent three months taking Scouts from around the world through the magic of the Swiss Alps and making friends for life with the other members of the staff team. She recently served on the International Service Team at the 26th World Moot in Porto, Portugal.
After returning to the USA, Laura applied and was accepted as a delegate to the 9th Interamerican Leadership Training (ILT), representing Scouting America. ILT was a transformational experience, focusing not only on the theoretical side of leadership but also on forging connections with other young adults from the Interamerican Region. Laura was back as a Team Advisor for the 10th edition of ILT in 2024.
Laura currently serves as the International Representative for Tidewater Council and as a Deputy Vice Chair on the National International Committee.
Laura received the Silver Beaver Award at the Scouting America Tidewater Council Recognition Banquet on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at the Khedive Shrine Temple in Chesapeake, alongside fellow recipients Noel Falcon and Bob Patton.
About the Silver Beaver Award
As a movement with leadership overwhelmingly comprised of volunteers, Scouting America recognizes the need to acknowledge the invaluable service Scout leaders render to youth.
The Silver Beaver is the highest honor that a local council can bestow upon a volunteer and is among the most prestigious awards in Scouting. Since 1931, the award has been a means for council-level recognition of Scouters who have provided distinguished service to youth.
A recipient of the award may be a Scouter who has given exceptional service to Scouting or their community over a long period, or it may go to a Scouter who has done a single remarkable act of noteworthy service. Length of service is not a prerequisite, nor does someone’s tenure make this recognition automatic or warranted.
The Silver Beaver is not an “earned” award. A Tidewater Council peer-level volunteer committee selects the honorees after thoroughly reviewing nominations. The Scouting America National Council, on the recommendation of the local council, bestows the award.
About Scouting America Tidewater Council
Established in 1911, Tidewater Council is the fifth oldest Scouting America council in the United States. Today, the council serves approximately 4,000 youth and 1,700 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. To learn more about Tidewater Council or to sign your child up for Scouting, visit TidewaterBSA.com, email [email protected], or call 757-497-2688.
About Scouting America
Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”
Scouting America welcomes all of America’s youth into its programs. Scouting aims to give them fantastic experiences in the outdoors, and elsewhere, where they can grow in a safe environment. More than 130 million Americans have participated in Scouting’s programs since its founding. Today, almost one million youth are served by 500,000 adult volunteers in local councils throughout the country.
To learn more about Scouting America’s mission, or to sign your child up for Scouting, visit BeAScout.org.
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Silver Beaver Award Class of 2025, Scouting America Tidewater Council
April 29, 2026
(from left):
Silver Beaver Award recipient Bob Patton
Scouting America Tidewater Council President John Scheib
Silver Beaver Award recipient Laura Bussiere
Scouting America Tidewater Council Commissioner Kate Sklat
Silver Beaver Award recipient Noel Falcon
Scouting America Tidewater Council Scout Executive James Parnell