Councilman Mark Terry presents Boy Scout Matt Thomas with a certificate of recognition. Photo by Mark Thomas.The Canyon Lake City Council on Wednesday recognized Canyon Lake Boy Scout Matt Thomas for winning a Boy Scouts of America 50th anniversary shoulder patch contest.
The patch designed by Thomas was selected as the winning design for the 50th anniversary of the California Inland Empire Council (CIEC) of the Boy Scouts of America. He was recognized at the Inland Empire Council recognition dinner, where his winning design was unveiled.
Using “camping” as an inspiration, Thomas created his design in about 20 minutes. “Camping is a central part of scouting and one of my favorite scouting activities,” Thomas said.
Matt Thomas’ design is featured on the 50th anniversary of the California Inland Empire Council of the Boys Scouts of America patch. Photo provided by Susan Thomas.The patch features two Scouts. The Scout on the left side of the patch represents the history of Scouting. The Scout on the right represents the future of Scouting. Thomas also incorporated an arrowhead into his design to represent San Bernardino County. The Mission Bell represents Riverside County. The bottom of the patch represents the four councils that merged 50 years ago to create the California Inland Empire Council.
A Scout since the age of six, Thomas climbed the ranks to Eagle Scout. In July, Thomas and his brother will be joining more than 20,000 other Scouts at the National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia.
The California Inland Empire Council of the Boys Scouts of America serves the Inland Empire of California. The service area comprises Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Thomas is a Scout of Troop 2011, The Troop is chartered by VFW Post 1508 in Wildomar and includes Scouts from Canyon Lake, Lake Elsinore, and Wildomar.
