Illowa Council to honor scouts, volunteers and donors at gala

The Illowa Council Scouting America, based in Davenport, will host its fifth annual Community Impact Gala at 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, at The Camden Centre in Milan.

The gala honors Illowa Council’s volunteers and donors, as well as all those scouts who earned their Eagle Rank in 2024. Illowa Council covers a 13-county service area. They include Scott, Muscatine, Clinton, Jackson and Cedar counties in eastern Iowa as well as Rock Island, Mercer, Henry, Bureau, Stark, Knox, Warren and McDonough counties in western Illinois.

In addition to a catered dinner, there will be a silent auction. The gala’s emcee is Alex Ludvicek. He is a missionary pilot who is an Eagle Scout Class of 2007 and Moody Aviation Class of 2014. He will share how earning his Eagle impacted his decision to become a pilot and the skills he gained from that experience. 

The 2025 honorees

These awards will be presented to Illowa’s dedicated volunteers and business leaders during the annual gala: 

• The North Star Award: Miller Trucking & Excavating, Silvis. It is presented by councils on the behalf of the National Court of Honor for nonregistered volunteers who have made a significant contribution to Scouting.
• The Council Duty to God Award: Rev. Realff Ottesen, Bettendorf. This award recognizes registered scouters with an exemplary history of transformational leadership in supporting and promoting the spiritual foundation of Scouting.
• The Elbert K. Fretwell Outstanding Educator Award: Paul Castro, Bettendorf. This award is presented to those that improve students’ lives by proactively modeling and teaching Scouting values and is presented to teachers, educational support staff, and school administrators who instill Scouting values for students.
• The National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award: Bruce Schwarz, Bettendorf, and Thomas McDermott, Eldridge. This award is presented to Eagle Scouts who demonstrate remarkable achievements well beyond their Scouting endeavors by excelling in their careers/vocations at local, regional, or national levels.  
• The Silver Beaver Award: C. Talbot Berry, Bettendorf; Andrew DeBaillie, Coal Valley; Steven L. Hulsing, Bettendorf; Dean Roberts, Macomb, Illinois; and Meaghan Terry, Silvis. This award recognizes registered scouters of exceptional character who have provided distinguished service within a council.

The gala also will recognize Illowa Council’s 68 youth who earned their Eagle Rank in 2024. Collectively, their Eagle community service projects involved 8,298 service hours. 

Five district winners are finalists for the District Eagle Project of the Year to be announced at Sunday’s gala. They are: Hoover District, Maxson Terry-Dalbey, Troop 151, Muscatine, Iowa; Inali District, Charles Blake Caulkins, Troop 316, Galesburg, Illinois; Kittan District, Paul Willett, Troop 199, Bettendorf; Mesquakie District, Aiden Roberts, Troop 22, Clinton, Iowa; and Saukenuk District, Ethan Smith, Troop 243, Rock Island.