2021 Sonoran Sunset Unit Awards
Sonoran Sunset 2021 Unit Awards
On February 26, 2022, Bill Leroy, Sonoran Sunset District Chair, had the honor of recognizing our wonderful volunteers at the Annual Volunteer Recognition Ceremony held at the Scout Lodge in Litchfield Park. The District recognized Units of the Year based on the 2021 Journey to Excellence. Cub Scout Volunteers were recognized with the Spark Plug Award by their Pack. Scouts BSA volunteers were recognized with the Silver Whistle Award by their Troop. The ceremony closed with delicious ice cream enjoyed by all.
Sonoran Sunset District is grateful and appreciative of all our volunteers. Without you, Scouting does not exist. Thank you for all you do.
A special thanks to Linda Gillham for coordinating and organizing the awards and the ceremony! Great job Linda!
Cubmaster of the Year – David Masciangelo, Pack 1776
David is a very welcoming, strong communicator; goes above and beyond; lives and breath scouts; and wears many hats to ensure the kids and parents/guardians have a wonderful experience. It is a pleasure to have him as our Cubmaster and work together for our pack and den.
David Masciangelo is a caring, committed, and professional gentleman. He is a genuine, organized person who is not only dedicated to his family, but also his extended family….THE SCOUTS!!!!!!
Advisor of the Year – Avery Thresher, Crew 2513
I would like to nominate Avery Thresher for Venturing Advisor of the Year. Avery has been a Venturing Crew advisor for 11 years. He is fully trained, including Wood Badge. He works well with older youth and encourages them to challenge themselves. Despite COVID his crew has earned JTE Silver. Avery serves as an advisor to the Council Venturing Officers Association. He has served as a Crew Advisor for the council’s National Jamboree Venturing Crew. Avery has been awarded the Grand Canyon Council Venturing Leadership Award.
Pack 3 – Meaghan Marquez
She steps up to fill-in for the Den Leader multiple times without question. She volunteers when needed and pitches in to help the cubs.
Pack 263 – Amy Afek
Amy has been instrumental to the success of many Cub Scout events over the last several years. Without her experience and unwavering willingness to help, so much would be forgotten or left undone. Amy is the type of volunteer I wish every pack had more of, and she brings out the best in Pack 263.
Pack 400 – Tori Bias
Her behind the scenes coordination of events
Pack 436 – Jake Mabe
I have had visits with Pack 436 and Jake has things moving in a positive direction. He has encouraged advancement into Scouts BSA along with helping coordinate overnights for his pack.
Pack 513 – Mark Price
Mark stepped up to help with the 2021 IOLS/BALOO course. With Covid, people were reluctant to offer to help. Mark was one that did. He has also recently completed the Wood Badge course and is working on his Wood Badge tickets. He has helped keep his pack together and grow into one of the larger packs in the district.
Pack 526 – Ryan Taylor
Always there helping the Pack even though his son has crossed over to scouts. working with the cubmaster to grow the pack.
Pack 546 – Juan Castellanos
Pack 1776 – Aimee Erickson
Aimee Erickson is the hardest working Den Leader I’ve seen. She creates elaborate, engaging and fun den meetings for her den of 13 Scouts. She’s currently our Webelos I DL and has been a dedicated DL since Lion. Aimee is an outside the box thinker and each year takes her youth on field trips that reflect that thinking. Just a few examples, she’s partnered with the local Whole Foods to teach the Scouts about healthy eating and where our food comes from, they’ve gone to Honey Hive Farms in Peoria to learn about bees, bee keeping and how bees are critical to the ecosystem, and she’s taken her Scouts to WHAM Art Association to learn about different kinds of art via a treasure hunt in the museum.
Aimee’s Scouts have earned the World Conservation Award, Conservation Good Turn, Outdoor Activity Award in multiple years and ScoutSTRONG Healthy Unit awards.
Aimee encourages leadership opportunities in her den. She’s had her nephew in Scouts BSA assist with den meetings and as her den has grown she recruited an ADL to help her with the larger size den. She sets an example for our unit on how to make the BEST den meeting experiences for our Scouts.
Aimee epitomizes how to deliver the Scouting program to the youth in our community and deserves the Spark Plug because she definitely is a spark for excellence in Pack 1776 and in the Sonoran Sunset District.
Pack 1776 – Monika Masciangelo
Monika is so patient with all the different Cub Scouts personalities we have. She makes the adventures as fun as possible yet educational. Additionally, she is simply one of those individuals whose smile can turn the world “right-side UP”! We are so lucky to have her leading us.
Troop 3 – Patrick Davis
As our Assistant Scoutmaster (ASM) he helps with the Scouts rank advancements. He is quiet but can really surprise you with his camping knowledge. He has advanced his own knowledge of scouting and is becoming more and more active in the troop attending roundtable, campouts, and fundraisers.
Troop 194 – Joel Larson
Scouter most dedicated to his unit.
Troop 505 – Vanessa Loftin
The Scouts have planned some fun campouts and Mrs. Loftin is always there to support them in their activities. She does not hesitate to jump on her bike and ride 16 miles for their bike campout. She has also hiked 7.2 miles at Picacho Peak and went all the way to the peak with the Scouts. She has great enthusiasm and excitement for scouting and does a fabulous job of keeping up with the girls. The Scouts are very lucky to have Mrs. Loftin as their Assistant Scoutmaster (ASM).
Troop 526 – Dan Bleasdale
Assistant Scoutmaster (ASM) that attends almost every Troop Activity. Always there to motivate scouts and leaders. He is also Troop OA Ceremony Team Advisor; providing Ceremony teams for OA Lodge events.
Troop 546 – Tase Evans
Troop 3546 – Shannon Kellogg