Photo by Gary Lester Left to Right: Steve Leonhardt, 2026 Silver Beaver award recipient; Kimberly Lawson 2025 District Award of Merit recipient; Stephen Crone, 2026 District Award of Merit recipient.

The Chief Cornplanter Council, Boy Scouts of America recently held its annual volunteer recognition dinner.

The Silver Beaver Award recognizes registered scouters of exceptional character who have provided distinguished service within the council. The District Award of Merit is given to a registered scouter who renders service of an outstanding nature at the district level.

Steve Leonhardt began his scouting journey as a youth, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. When Leonhardt moved to Warren County, he became a volunteer with the Chief Cornplanter Council. He is the scoutmaster of Troop 14 in Russell and is a camp staff member at Camp Olmsted. He is also a merit badge counselor and serves on the District Committee for the council.

Stephen Crone began his scouting journey as a youth, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. When he returned to Warren from Ohio Tech Welding School, he acquired the equipment to teach the welding merit badge class at Camp Olmsted, and has been teaching the class for over seven years. Crone spends countless hours at Camp Olmsted doing maintenance and keeping the camp safe and functional for the scouts.

Kimberly Lawson began volunteering for Chief Cornplanter Council 16 years ago when her son joined Cub Scouts, first serving as a den leader and then a pack cubmaster. When her son crossed into a scout troop she continued to volunteer within the unit. She has helped at Cub Scout Summer Camp for the last 15 years, and also helps at Camp Olmsted every summer. She has two sons who have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.