FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2024
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
PAM SAMPLES RECEIVES TIDEWATER COUNCIL'S HIGHEST HONOR
Virginia Beach, Va. – Three local Boy Scouts of America (BSA) leaders have received the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor bestowed by a local BSA council. First introduced in 1931, the prestigious award recognizes volunteer leaders who have provided distinguished service to youth. The Silver Beaver Award is not an “earned” award; rather, the distinction is granted by one’s peers in the local Scouting area.
Pam Samples’ Scouting journey began in 2012 when her son slammed a Cub Scout recruitment flier on her desk. He declared, “I want to do this.” Little did she know that it would also become a journey that she would come to love.
Pam followed her children through Cub Scouts and held positions as den leader, secretary, treasurer, fundraising chair, events chair, new member coordinator, and unit popcorn kernel. When Pam’s son crossed over into Troop 660, she followed, serving as committee secretary, assistant Scoutmaster, and merit badge counselor. Pam helped form Pack 585 and Crew 520. She also held leadership roles in Pack 418 and Troop 362. Her oldest son became an Eagle Scout with Troop 362 in 2021.
She served the Princess Anne District as popcorn kernel, membership committee, membership chair, and vice-chair. She has conducted district and council training in Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS), new member coordinator, membership, popcorn, and camp card sales.
One of Pam’s noteworthy accomplishments was being the council popcorn chair for four years and building an “A Team” of district popcorn kernels. These leaders and the council’s units helped put Tidewater Council on the map as a “popcorn giant.” During her tenure (including the COVID years), Tidewater Council Scouts grossed $3,868,103 in popcorn sales. She also served as council product sales chair for two years, covering all council-sponsored product sales. Pam loves that she recruited adults and youth into Scouting over the past ten years and provided fundraising opportunities to help them afford to stay in the program.
Pam is an Order of the Arrow Brotherhood member, was named Cub Scout “Pack Committee Member of the Year,” and was honored with the Princess Anne District Award of Merit. In addition to her Scouting accomplishments, Pam has volunteered for more than a decade with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and eight years with the PTA/PTSA as secretary, membership, fundraising, and president. She was honored to be awarded PTA Volunteer of the Year awards from both College Park Elementary and Providence Elementary Schools in Virginia Beach.
Pam was born in Chicago and moved to Virginia Beach, where she earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Regent University. After a stint in the newsroom at WVEC-TV 13, she joined the Christian Broadcasting Network’s flagship television program, “The 700 Club,” for 28 years. She is married with three children.
The recognition ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Khedive Shrine Center, 645 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia. Pam will be honored alongside fellow Silver Beaver Award recipients Ralph Ingraham and Mike Zemienieuski.
About the Silver Beaver Award
As a movement whose leadership is overwhelmingly comprised of volunteers, the Boy Scouts of America recognizes the need to acknowledge the invaluable service Scout leaders render to youth.
The Silver Beaver Award is the highest honor that a local council can bestow upon a volunteer and is among the most prestigious awards in Scouting. The award was introduced in 1931 as 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; rather, the recognition is granted by one’s Scouting peers. A Tidewater Council committee selects the recipients after thoroughly reviewing nominations. The National Council, upon the recommendation of the local council, makes the award.
About Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America
Tidewater Council is the 5th oldest Boy Scouts of America council in the United States, established in 1911. 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. More 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 character development and values-based leadership training programs. 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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