Perhaps the most meaningful award for crew members is our next award, for outstanding crew member. This is for the crew member who has most demonstrated outstanding leadership, service and spirit as a venturer. But that’s not what makes it special. The youth choose the winner. And this year they narrowed their focus between two of our officers. I’d like to congratulate our runner-up, brice reynolds, and would ask you to help me congratulate this year’s winner, Tok Kim.
Tok is no stranger to accolades with this crew. He was last year’s winner of the Jenny Kukucka memorial public service award and was named along with Brice as recipients earlier this year of the venturing leadership award, a prestigious honor.
His leadership has been recognized because he has worked very hard in whatever job he has had and has demonstrated a genuine care for others. Last year, he coordinated our driving safety campaign and was involved in most of its many activities. He also produced a version of the dvd to donate to the council, a training tool that can be used for years to come.
As vice president last fall he led a remarkable recruiting effort that produced our biggest cookout to date – and the most new members. When he became treasurer, he participated in each fundraiser. He has been genuinely friendly to everyone in the crew, offering kindness – and occasional car rides in his convertible Porsche- to other crew members. He even hosted last year’s crew Christmas party.
And he has done all of this as a student at the university of South Carolina.
With each new leadership post and every month of activity, he gained the respect of the crew. And that respect showed when they selected him earlier this month to be their new president, a post he had run for twice previously.
For all of his hard work, his leadership, friendship and enthusiastic spirit, the crew selects Tok as its outstanding crew member of 2006. Congratulations!