Jim Shivers, past chairman of the Catholic Committee on Scouting for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was recently presented a special award by the Protestant Committee on Scouting, recognizing his efforts at encouraging all Boy Scouts to earn the Religious Awards of their respective faiths.

"As far as I know, this is the first time in this council that a Catholic has received the 'God and Service' award," remarked Rev. Dr. Paul Clark, the Protestant representative for the Religious Relations Committee of the San Gabriel Valley council.

Given to an adult in the scouting world, the national award cannot be earned, explained Rev. Clark, but rather is the culmination of recommendations and nominations. "Jim has three times more letters of recommendations than were needed," said Rev. Clark. "Jim's dedication is extremely wonderful; his special activities and efforts make him a perfect recipient."

One of Shiver's ongoing projects is the annual 10 Commandment Hike where scouts spend a day walking in a San Gabriel Valley community to discover different religious faiths. Each stop at a different house of worship involves a mini-lesson of one of the 10 Commandments as well as an overview of that particular faith. In the past, scouts of all faiths have hiked to Christian churches, Jewish temples, Islamic mosques and Buddhist temples.

The award was presented to Shivers at the second annual Religious Award Banquet, this year held at the His Lai Buddhist Temple in Hacienda Heights. About 150 scouts and family members attended the event which recognized scouts of different faiths who have earned their religious badges.