Vigil Honor
The Vigil Honor is the highest honor that the Order of the Arrow can bestow upon its members for service to lodge, council, and Scouting.
The Vigil Honor is a high mark of distinction and recognition reserved for those Arrowmen who, by reason of exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest, have made distinguished contributions beyond the immediate responsibilities of their position of office to their lodge, the OA, the Scouting Community, or their Scout Camp. Membership cannot be won by a person’s conscious endeavors.
Under no circumstances should tenure in Scouting or the Order of the Arrow be considered as reason enough for a Vigil Honor recommendation.
Any member of the Order of the Arrow registered in Scouting and in good standing in Kiondaga Lodge is eligible for recommendation to the National Order of the Arrow Committee for elevation to the Vigil Honor provided that, at the time of the recommendation, the individual has been a Brotherhood member for a minimum of two years. Kiondaga Lodge may nominate one youth and one adult Arrowman each year, depending on lodge membership.
Founder’s Award
In 1981, the National Order of the Arrow committee established a new award in memory of founder and co-founder E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson. The Founders’ Award was created to honor and recognize those Arrowmen who have given outstanding service to a lodge. The award is reserved for an Arrowman who demonstrates to fellow Arrowmen that he or she memorializes in his or her daily life the spirit of service as described by our founders. The following inscription on the award medallion describes the spirit of the award: “For he who serves his fellows is, of all his fellows, greatest.” The award comes with a handsome bronze medallion bearing the likenesses of Goodman and Edson along with the Founder’s Award ribbon, similar to the universal arrow ribbon, except that it has a gold-colored arrow suspended from a red ribbon, and a certificate.
Committee of the Year
All of the major functions and logistics of Kiondaga Lodge would not be possible without the numerous hours of work from our committees. Recognizing all of the service performed by the members of these groups is an honor, however we can only honor a single committee with the prestige of the Committee of the Year award. The top committee is selected by the Lodge Vigil and Awards Selection Committee (who is ineligible for the award) prior to every annual Winter Banquet. Each committee’s yearly goals, their inclusion of new and current members, and the extent of the committee’s effect on the program of Kiondaga Lodge are the basis for consideration. Beyond bragging rights, the honored committee gets to possess the Committee of the Year plaque until the evening of the following Winter Banquet. It is part of every committee’s motivation to win the Committee of the Year Award, despite it being only a small token of appreciation when compared to the irksome tasks and weighty responsibilities they take on.
Outstanding First Year Arrowman
The Order of the Arrow can give much to its members in the way of personal development, so long as Arrowmen take full advantage of every possible opportunity. In each class of new Ordeal members, there are always a couple who are especially outstanding in their participation during their first year. Selection criteria can include attendance at fun-filled weekends and events, working on committees, and attending Lodge Executive Committee (LEC) meetings. This recognition is reserved only for youth members, and the Vigil and Awards Selection Committee will select no more than three First-Year Arrowman Awards to be presented at the annual Winter Banquet. Along with a certificate, the honorable awardees are given an engraved acorn pin to be worn on the Lodge Pocket Flap in the place of the embroidered acorn. It is the lodge’s hope that every new member will take the Outstanding First Year Arrowman as another opportunity to take advantage of as part of being in Scouting’s National Honor Society.
Appreciation Pin
Introduced in 2021, the Kiondaga Lodge Service Appreciation Pin was established to honor those who render service at the local level. The award is presented to Arrowmen—youth and adult—who have rendered exceptional and selfless service to the Lodge, the Council, or beyond through the Order of the Arrow. Kiondaga Lodge would be remiss to not extend the due recognition for our volunteers who serve on kitchen crews, properties committees, event staffs, and service project leads. This award is decided by the Lodge Vigil and Awards Selection Committee. It is an astounding presentation, at our annual Winter Banquet, to see the many people it takes to continue our lodge program. Along with the certificate, the honorable awardees are given an acorn pin engraved with “WWW” to be worn on the Lodge Pocket Flap in the place of the embroidered acorn. This small token seeks to acknowledge the immense amount of appreciation we could never fully vocalize for our volunteers.
