The Baden-Powell Council, Boy Scouts of America has announced that it will honor Dr. Thomas Kelly, Professor of Management and former Vice-President and Dean of Binghamton University, with its 2011 Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award.
The Boy Scouts present this award each year to a community member for outstanding service and volunteerism to the community.
The recipients are chosen because they exemplify the virtues found in the Scout Oath and Law.
Tom has given his time, talents and resources in service to the Binghamton community. Professionally, one major accomplishment was providing leadership to the development and management of the Binghamton University’s first-ever comprehensive gifts campaign which exceeded its goal by raising over $44 million dollars, a year ahead of schedule. His record of community service is outstanding, serving as a Trustee and Chair of the Board of The Link Foundation which supports research in energy, simulation, and ocean engineering among other charitable endeavors. He is Past President of the Board of the Broome County Council of Churches and has served on a strategic planning task force for the formation of the new Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church. Tom has previously served in a number of volunteer leadership positions: Board Member of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chair of the Board of the Binghamton Summer Music Festival, Trustee of Guthrie Healthcare System, Chair of the Board of Guthrie Enterprises, and a Board Member of United Methodist Homes for the Aging. He has also served on several corporate boards in our community including the former BSB Bank and Trust.
The 2011 dinner to honor Thomas Kelly will be held on Thursday, May 5th at the McKinley in Endicott. Reception will be at 5:30 p.m. with dinner to start at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available by contacting the Baden-Powell Council Boy Scouts of America at 648-7888 x105. A flier about the dinner is attached.
Past recipients of this award include Carl T. Ernstrom, Chairman Ernstrom and Heichemer, Bruce Boyea, Board Chairman & CEO, Security Mutual Life Insurance Company, Kenneth H. Miller Vice-President Miller Motor Car Co., Ronald Lesch, Vice President Chemung Canal Trust Company, John Fitzsimmons, President Capital Granite Holdings, James Orband, Managing Partner Hinman, Howard & Kattell, Jeff Lake, Regional President NBT Bank and Frank Berrish, President & CEO Visions Federal Credit Union.
The Baden-Powell Council serves over 5,700 youth members in 150 different programs in the six county area around Binghamton. In addition to Boy Scouts (for boys age 11 to 18) the scouting programs runs cub scouting (boys grades 1st through 5th), two different coed programs Venturing and Exploring (coed 14 to 21) and an in-school coed character/career education program called Learning for Life (grades K-12).
The Baden-Powell Council, Boy Scouts exists thanks to the generous support of our community. The organization gets about 16% of its annual operating budget from four member United Ways; Broome, Tioga, Susquehanna and Cortland County. The remaining 84% of the budget comes from charitable contributions and participation fees
