Messengers of Peace Distinguished Project Award recognizes outstanding Scouting service to Local Communities
[January 27, 2025] – Scouting America’s International Commissioner, Lou Paulson, would like to announce that Jason C Woodman (Troop 1094, National Capital Area Council) was chosen to receive the 2024 Messengers of Peace Distinguished Project Award. The award recognizes outstanding service by individuals who have made contributions within their respective communities towards the promotion of peace. Through their work in Scouting, which aligned with one (or more) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they have acted locally to effect global change.
Jason was selected for the award for his work on constructing new and improving current ecosystems in Poolesville, Maryland. The project exemplifies the spirit of the Messengers of Peace initiative, bringing together 100 volunteers to achieve remarkable outcomes. Jason converted a ½-acre non-native grass area into a flourishing pollinator habitat to support monarch butterflies, birds, and other wildlife, while improving soil water filtration essential to Poolesville’s well system. The project also innovated community programs to enhance the local ecosystems through implementation of a fishing line recycling program, installation of pond structures with Christmas trees, and creation of cavity nesting environments for birds.
The success of the project is reflected not only in its tangible outcomes – such as thriving pollinator gardens, cleaner ponds, and sightings of diverse wildlife – but also in its ability to bring the Poolesville community together to support environmental conservation. Jason hosted a booth at Poolesville Springfest and shared videos and resources on social media, raising awareness about environmental sustainability.
Jason is a dedicated and passionate Scout who has demonstrated a commitment to making a difference in his community, exemplifies what it means to be a Messenger of Peace, and embodies the Scout Oath and Law in his work. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor and thank you for inspiring others through your creativity and dedication!
Messengers of Peace Distinguished Projects are chosen annually by the International Commissioner of Scouting America and the Scouting America Messengers of Peace (MoP) committee. The award is open to registered Scouts who have made significant contributions to the promotion of peace and have met the requirements laid out in the MoP Program Guide. Scouts may be nominated for this award by any registered Scout Leader and must be approved by their Council International Representative and Scout Executive. The deadline for 2025 award nominations is October 31, 2025.
2023 Award Recipients
Daniel Thomas (Troop 1905 – Longhorn Council) – SDGs #6 Clean Water & Sanitation, #14 Life Below Water,
#15 Life on Land, and #17 Partnership for the Goals
Daniel Thomas was selected for the award for his work on the LitterScout project. The LitterScout project is a local conservation group that Daniel founded in 2019, as a 5th grader, with the goal of inspiring, organizing, and engaging youth to be educated about litter and its impact on waterways. Through research, Daniel determined that 75% of the waste in his local Dallas-Fort Worth community waterways is generated from land-based litter. To help address this issue, Daniel began organizing monthly litter clean-ups in three cities (Euless, Grapevine, & Colleyville) with the help of friends, school organizations, and local scouting units. Daniel cooperated with the municipal governments of Euless, Grapevine and Colleyville to conduct his project efforts. This project has run continuously for over three and a half years and involved over 75,000 collectives hours of service.
The LitterScout project also features monthly blogs, podcasts, and YouTube videos. Pursuing his passion to inspire, Daniel wrote and published a children’s book titled, “Sustainable Living: Environmental Tips for Kids”. He also created a phone app called “LitterScout” which decentralizes litter clean-ups by crowdsourcing litter hot spots. Using GPS and photos, it enables individuals and groups to participate in litter reporting and clean-ups. The educational material he created, as well as the LitterScout App, can be found at LitterScout.com.
Additionally, Daniel was awarded the 2023 Texas Environmental Excellence Award by the Texas Governor’s office, the state’s highest environmental conservation award for leading community members in conservation projects & educational outreach. Congratulations Daniel on inspiring peace through environmental action in your local community!
Mason Schlafer (Troop 1053 – Michigan Crossroads Council) – SDGs #1 No Poverty, #2 Zero Hunger, and #3
Good Health & Well-Being, and #17 Partnership for the Goals
Our second awardee is Mason Schlafer, who was selected for his Muskegon Mobile Food Pantry project. As a young scout, Mason was inspired to research food insecurity in his local community. He learned that 1 in 6 Muskegon children are suffering from hunger and that several non-profit food relief organizations were already hard at work tackling the problem and needed more help. Despite having more than enough food to feed everyone on Earth, over 800 million people still unfortunately end up going hungry every day. Issues such as natural disasters, poverty and homelessness, unsafe water and sanitation, and government conflict can all contribute to putting the hungry in even more dire straits.
Mason decided to take action and partnered with Feeding America, Muskegon County Cooperating Churches, and St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church to expand their mobile food truck operations. The mobile food trucks operate to bring the food to the people. Families are able to sign up to receive food monthly. One food package is able to feed a family for about one week. The pantry operates like a drive-thru, in which people can drive (or walk) in and pick up their package of food. A single pantry can feed between 150-200 families at each stop.
Mason’s project has contributed over 2,200 hours of direct community service to end hunger over 33 events since 2018 and continues still. What makes Mason’s project even more outstanding is that he has used the proceeds from his title as Scouting America’s top popcorn seller for six years to fund his Mobile Food Pantry project with Feeding America of West Michigan. He has sold more than $400,000 of popcorn to help feed an estimated 10,000 people with around 150,000 pounds of food. His message of peace has inspired several scouting units from outside the area to come and join the effort as he expands the mobile food pantry and plans for its sustained operation. Congratulations Mason for making a lasting impact on ending hunger in your local community!
