BROOKINGS – Neil Thomas of Brookings has been selected as one of 29 individuals globally to receive the 3Mgives Volunteer Award. 

This award is earned by 3Mers who are dedicated to improving and enriching lives in their local communities. Awardees are nominated by their peers and letters of support from the organizations where they volunteer. 

Thomas has volunteered countless hours to Boy Scout programs, his church and the 3M Emergency Squad.

As a scoutmaster, Thomas provides leadership with the goals of developing outdoor and physical skills, moral values, citizenship and providing challenging adventures. 

A recent activity to support those goals was a troop visit to the South Dakota state capitol where each Scout spent one on one time with a state representative. 

The troop also met with the governor and a state Supreme Court justice. Some of the adventures the Scouts participated in include week-long hiking and camping trips in the Florida Keys, Canadian Wilderness, Colorado Rockies, Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, and northern Wisconsin. 

“I like watching the boys develop from young boys into young men. There have been quite a few times when we went camping where they left as little boys and came back as young men,” Thomas said.

His Scout troop is a “boy-led” group. The Scouts are organized in a hierarchical structure with patrol leaders and other designated roles, each having varying responsibilities. He teaches them how to delegate jobs and plan programs and activities. 

He has provided leadership to 60 to 70 Scouts through the program over the years, with 13 of those earning Eagle Scout status.

In recognition of Thomas’ volunteerism, 3M has donated $3,000 to the qualifying organization of his choice, Boy Scout Troop 13. 3M also supports volunteerism through its volunteer match for employees. Through this program, 3M provided $500 grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations where 3M employees volunteered at least 25 hours in a calendar year.