FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2024
For more information:
Alison Harrison, Marketing and Communications Director
James Parnell, Scout Executive
MIKE ZEMIENIEUSKI 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.
Mike Zemienieuski was a Scout as a youth in Portsmouth, Virginia, and has been an adult leader for the last 14 years. He served two years as pack trainer for Pack 207 and four years as pack committee chair. He is now the chartered organization representative (COR) for Pack 207 at Church of the Resurrection in Portsmouth and Troop 234 at Covenant United Methodist Church in Chesapeake. He also served as COR for Ship 596 in Chesapeake for three years.
In 2014 and again in 2015, he was named Three Rivers District “Pack Committee Member of the Year.” In 2016, Mike received the District Award of Merit. Mike also serves on the Three Rivers District committee, where he has contributed as district training chair and camping committee chair.
Mike is a qualified short-term camp administrator and trainer for Tidewater Council. He has led multiple district and council training events, including leader-specific training, Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO), Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS), Fundamentals of Training, and Trainer’s Edge.
As co-chair of Cub Scout Pow Wow in 2018 and 2019, he helped bring back this training event after several years of absence. He served as the Dean of Cub Scouts at the University of Scouting in 2017, 2018, and 2019. He chaired the first council-wide Webelosree at Pipsico Scout Reservation in 2018 and then again in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
Mike attended Wood Badge Course S7-596-13 and earned his beads in 2014. In 2021, Mike was the Course Director for the S7-596-21 course, where he facilitated the brand-new curriculum and successfully navigated all the COVID-19 restrictions. He has staffed Wood Badge four times.
In July 2023, Mike served as a program area lead at the National Jamboree, where he and a team of dedicated Scouters brought paintball to the Jamboree for the first time. Mike will serve as course director for National Youth Leadership Training in the fall of 2024.
He is an active Order of the Arrow (OA) member, completing his Ordeal in 2017 and his Brotherhood Walk in 2018. He serves with the cook crew at OA events. In his spare time, he can often be found in the kitchen at Pipsico Scout Reservation, providing cheerful service.
Mike is married with two children and two grandchildren. His younger son is an Eagle Scout and recently earned the Venturing Summit rank.
The recognition ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at the Khedive Shrine Center, 645 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia. Mike will be honored alongside fellow Silver Beaver Award recipients Ralph Ingraham and Pam Samples.
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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