HSB Chairman Richard H. Booth was awarded The Distinguished Citizen Award from the Connecticut Rivers Council, Boy Scouts of America.

The award is presented annually by the Connecticut Rivers Council to deserving community leaders who exemplify the ideals of Scouting in their daily lives and to recognize contributions to improve the quality of life in southern New England. Richard and fellow recipient John J. Guevremont, chief operating officer of Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, were honored earlier this month at an awards dinner.

Richard praised the Connecticut Rivers Council and its corporate and community supporters, saying that without their work "boys simply wouldn't have the opportunity to benefit from the positive impact Scouting makes in their lives." The Boy Scouts and Scouting have changed over the years, Richard noted, "But its core values and objectives remain the same. The goal is to help develop young men to be productive and honorable contributors to our society."

The Connecticut Rivers Council delivers Scouting programs that help develop character, citizenship, fitness and leadership skills to more than 35,000 youth and nearly 10,000 adult volunteers in 127 cities and towns in Connecticut. The Council chartered Scouting programs to 706 groups in 2000 such as educational, civic, religious, fraternal and business organizations.