Bounty of awards for Green Boy Scouts

GREEN — A church, a lifesaver, a pack of racers and seven Webelos Scouts were among those honored at the 2011 Blue and Gold Awards Dinner for Green Township’s Cub Scout Pack 184. “The Blue and Gold Dinner is a Cub Scouting tradition that celebrates the anniversary of the Scouting movement in the United States and recognizes each boy’s achievements and accomplishments,” said Donald Berry, Pack 184’s Committee Chairman. Over 120 Cub Scouts and their families gathered at the Green Township Fire Department, who generously hosted the event. Strong support from local merchants and individuals advertising in the Blue and Gold Dinner program allowed Pack 184 to announce a $1,000 donation to its sponsoring organization, the Tranquility United Methodist Church. A giant check was presented to Pat Hart of the Methodist Church, who was visibly moved by the gift. Racemaster John Bugay presented Pack 184 Cub Scouts with participation medals for the 2011 Pinewood Derby along with the coveted trophies for this year’s winners. In a very special moment, Tiger Scout Aydan Waldron was honored with a lifesaving award. Aydan’s quick actions may have helped save his mother’s life when she suffered a sudden seizure. The first grader immediately called a neighbor who summoned help. The highlight of the dinner was the presentation of the Arrow of Light, the highest honor in Cub Scouting, to seven Webelos Scouts: Dylan Berry, John Bugay, Ashish Dugyala, Stephen Furtkevic, James McMahon, Aaron Valentino and Jake Williams. Each boy helped to create a display commemorating their Cub Scout experiences and proud mother, Sujatha Dugyala, put together a video showcasing five years of fun from rocket shoots and treasure hunts to camping on the Battleship New Jersey and more. Each Webelos Scout received an Arrow of Light plaque, an eagle honor feather and a custom arrow with colored banding to represent every rank and award earned during his Cub Scout career. In addition, John Bugay received special recognition for earning all 20 Webelos activity badges. Green Township’s Boy Scout Troop 184 conducted a bridging ceremony to represent the cross-over from Cub to Boy Scouting. Scoutmaster Jake Mull presented each graduating Webelos with a Boy Scout handbook, neckerchief and slide to welcome them to Troop 184. The event concluded with an award to Donald Berry, for his five years of service as a Den Leader and Pack Chairman. “The Boy Scouts of America - A Centennial History” was an especially fitting gift for Berry who is also an Eagle Scout. Dan Michael becomes the new chairman for Pack 184 while Berry joins Troop 184 as assistant scoutmaster.