Community Volunteer Awards
2024 Honoree
Marshall Stewart
Outstanding Service to Youth
Marshall Stewart
Most of us are familiar with the time-tested Boy Scout Motto which has been inspiring youth for more than 100 years: “Be Prepared.”
Nobody has been more prepared – or dedicated – in this cause than longtime Scoutmaster Marshall Stewart. It is not uncommon to find Marshall at community events ranging from American River clean-ups and Veterans Day flag installations to watching his troops lead the Fourth of July parade.
Marshall began his work with the Boy Scouts in the 1980s when his oldest son was moving through Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Two sons and four grandsons later, Marshall is still going strong.
Marshall considers it a privilege to see youngsters start out as Cubs and grow into impressive young men and women as they pursue Eagle Scout status. In nominating Marshall, former scout Robert Young told us he benefitted from Marshall’s leadership -- which is why years later his own two sons are experiencing the same. Robert credits Marshall’s influence on his early development as the reason why today he is Scoutmaster of Boy Scouts Girl’s Troop 1601 and Cubmaster of Pack 387.
Why does he do it? Maybe it’s because he considers Troop 363 a family. Marshall remains close with the Eagle Scouts he has guided over the years and former Troop members stay connected by returning to visit or participate in fundraisers that support the cause.
“I do it for the kids.” he told us.
Not only does Marshall share his wisdom with youngsters, he imparts knowledge to other scout leaders, providing Scoutmaster training.
But Marshall does not just teach the values of Boy Scouting, he lives them.
He generously gives his time and talent to the American River Grange No. 172, laboring to improve and maintain this 150-year old masterpiece -- the only Rancho Cordova structure on the National Register of Historic Places.
Whether through Scouts or through his work with the Grange, over the years Marshall has become a fixture on the Rancho Cordova scene. His list of activities is long, but includes:
- American River Clean ups
- Rancho Cordova City Council Meetings
- Lincoln Highway Memorial Events
- Rancho Cordova Memorial and Veterans Day observances
- National Guard Events at Mather
- Elk Lodge activities
- Rancho Cordova Fourth of July Parade
- Kids Day in the Park
- Rancho Cordova Food Locker distributions
- Rancho Cordova Christmas Tree Lighting … and on and on and on
In nominating Marshall for this award Teddy Ramil put it this way:
“Marshall embodies the phrase ‘Above and Beyond.’ He is a living, breathing example to us all that there is always something more to do and more to get done.”
The mission of Boy Scouts is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices throughout their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of Scout Law: to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. Scouting teaches not how to make a living, but how to live.
Wise words.
And so we, like so many young people, can learn a lot from Marshall Stewart, honored for Outstanding Service to Youth.
