1. President’s Award for John Restrepo and BelkisToribio
President Reagan’s Speech writer Peggy Noonan said, “Sincerity and competence
is a strong combination. In politics, it is everything”. I think that’s all true in
Scouting, and that combination of sincerity and competence can be applied to
John and Belkis.
John: Some years ago Boy Scout Troop 253 was organized in Queens as a
“Scoutreach” Unit. One of the Scouts recruited to that very Troop was John
Restrepo. John rose thru the ranks earning his Eagle Scout. What a success story.
John is a graduate of Queens College. For almost two years now, John has
successfully served as a Camping Executive on our staff. He spends countless
hours working with volunteers like planning and executing year-round events that
grow our GNYC Camping programs. His can do attitude and work habits are
infectious to volunteers and staff alike. During the summers, John is our Camp
Keowa Director and has spent the last 12 summers on Keowa staff in a variety of
roles. An aside, in his spare time, John is the volunteer Scoutmaster of the very
Troop, Troop 253, he grew up in Queens.
Belkis: She has grown up in GNYC Law Enforcement Exploring. In high school,
Belkis was an Explorer and the student leader of her post. Upon college
graduation, more than three years ago, Belkisstarted as an Law Enforcement
Exploring Executive and continues to give tremendous leadership to our program
which is the largest of it’s kind in the nation. Law Enforcement Exploring has
grown over 25% in two years on her watch. Belkis’ proactive style and approach
to her work, has preserved Exploring traditions like Spring Competition at Camp
Pouch and Summer Leadership Academy at TMR, and has launched new
initiatives like clubs for younger students interested in Exploring and team
building through COPE. As a Law Enforcement Executive professional on our staff,
Belkis has directly impactedthe recruitment of over 4,000 NYC youth to join a NYC
Law Enforcement Exploring Program.