The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution in early October presented Eugene Freeman with their Robert E. Burt Boy Scout Volunteer Award.

Freeman served as Scout Chairman on the Chicago Coin Club’s local planning committee at the 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015 American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money conventions in Chicago. During this time, he put in many hours promoting the ANA Convention Boy Scout Merit Badge Clinic.

His work included repeatedly contacted local Scout chapters and suburban councils, providing them with flyers, information and maps; teaching a Coin Collecting Merit Badge class at a Scout Merit Badge University with 2,000 scouts who chose from over 100 different merit badge classes; providing local coin shows with flyers promoting the Merit Badge Clinic; and sending mass-emails to past participants and their families.

In addition, Freeman worked with the Scouts and the ANA to create a new activity patch, “Scouting at the ANA,” which is awarded to Scouts and Scout Leaders who already have the Coin Collecting Merit Badge. Recipients can earn this patch by participating in specific activities at the ANA convention.