Boy Scouts Honor Distinguished Citizens

The importance of community members involvement in the lives of youths was emphasized Wednesday at the 2011 Distinguished Citizen Luncheon.

The Boy Scouts of America Three Fires Council honored two individuals and a business for helping to support young people in the community. Daniel F. Rigby, president and CEO of Human Resource Management Systems LLC, Anthony Franklin, Sr. and Batavia Enterprises were the three honorees this year.

About 150 people attended the lunch event held at the . The event began with Boy Scouts presenting the colors, a few words from Master of Ceremony Sterling Sullivan and an invocation and then those on hand enjoyed lunch, before the awards were presented. 

Rigby, a Naperville resident, was honored with the Distinguished Citizen Award. He is a former chairman of the Three Fires Council and currently serves on the board at Benedictine University. Franklin was honored with the Whtiney M. Young Jr. Service Award and Batavia Enterprises was honored with the Distinguished Corporation Award.

“Scouting is very much a community based program that relies on church and community groups to help,” said Matt Ackermann, Scout Executive for the Three Fires Council, Boy Scouts of America. “[The lunch] is a way to lift up people who are supporting scouting. It is a way to recognize those who are helping kids.”

The event is also a way to raise funds for scouting programs, he said. The Three Fires Council covers DuPage, Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties and requires about $4.5 million to maintain scouting programs in the communities. 

“These programs help train our future leaders,” Ackermann said.