The 9th Annual National Whitney M. Young, Jr. Service Award Banquet was hosted by the Boy Scouts of America, Chattahoochee Council and presented by BKI Fundraising. The event was held on Thursday, October 13th, 2022 in the St. Luke United Methodist Church Ballroom in Columbus, GA. Judge Gil McBride, Chief Judge in the Superior Court, delivered the keynote address. Life Scout Xavier Cantu from Troop 6 at Trinity Episcopal Church shared his Scouting journey. Sheriff Greg Countryman, the 2021 recipient of the Whitney M. Young Jr National Service Award, presented Judge Ben Richardson the 2022 recipient of the 2022 Whitney M. Young Jr. National Service Award.

The Whitney M. Young, Jr. National Service Award is a national recognition of those individuals and corporations – “unsung heroes” – who do exceptional service for their community. The mission of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Service Award Banquet is to secure resources in support of Scouting programs for underserved youth and provide experiences that develop self-esteem, character values and living skills, thereby enhancing the lives of young people in disadvantaged areas of our community. This year’s event raised almost $60,000 for underserved youth in our community, a new record for this event within the Chattahoochee Council. The Presenting Sponsor was BKI Accounting. Aflac was the Diamon Sponsor, and Kinetic Credit Union was the Gold Sponsor for this event.

Judge Ben Richardson is being honored for his lifetime of dedicated service to our community and its youth. Judge Richardson is a Superior Court Judge of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. Richardson grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, before graduating from Howard University and the University of Georgia School of Law. Richardson has practiced General Law and worked as an Assistant Solicitor General, Chief Assistant Solicitor General, and Solicitor General. Richardson was appointed by the Muscogee County State Court bench in January 2014. Judge Richardson was appointed and sworn in as Superior Court Judge of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit in 2022.

He has been selected as Master of the Bench, Solicitor General of the Year, and 40 under 40 Brightest Young Georgians. He was awarded the Order of Saint Maurice, J. Rodger Thompson Faculty Member of the Year, and Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Columbus Technical College of Criminal Justice Honor Society Award is named in his honor.

Judge Richardson is a board member for the Kinetic Credit Union and a member of the Lambda Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi. Richardson is married to his wife Valerie and has one son, Justin.

“It is our distinct honor to be able to present Judge Richardson with this prestigious award. In both his professional and personal life, he is a positive role models for our youth and our community”, says Scout Executive/CEO Juan F. Osorio of the Chattahoochee Council. “Facing adversity as an inner-city youth was not easy for me, but the Scouting Program provided the tools and guidance to overcome. Our goal is to continue to provide a quality Scouting program to every available youth regardless of their financial background and this banquet allows us to do just that.”

For information on how to support Scouting, contact the Chattahoochee Council at (706) 327-2634 or email Stephanie Payne at mailto:[email protected].