Dublin Resident Receives Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award

Larry Woods, a member of John Knox Presbyterian Church in Dublin, received the President's Lifetime Achievement Award in December of 2023. Due to his amazing Volunteerism over the last 40 years, Larry was presented with this award by BSA Program Director Matt Lindberg on Scout Sunday at JKPC in February. This prestigious service award is an opportunity to honor the most outstanding volunteers and recognize the impact they make in their community over their lifetime.

The certificate is hand signed by President Joe Biden. In order to earn this award, one must volunteer a minimum of 4,000 hours, and Larry clocked in at over 15,700!

Larry humbly said “I like to volunteer because it makes people feel good. When people feel good, I feel good.”

Larry’s volunteer hours & organizations include the following:

1986-1988 ~ 4,000 hours with the Peace Corps
Hand dug wells and developing of Women’s Co-ops.
Larry says it was like a 2-year camping trip in Ghana, West Africa

1997-2001 ~ 1,152 hours with Big Brother Program
Little Brother Elliott and Larry still keep in touch. Elliott is now a happy father of two girls, and he has fond memories of their time together when he was young. Larry added that this was a great practice for becoming a parent.

1998-2003 ~ 400 hours with Alameda County Food Bank
Larry met his wife Bell working there, and their miracle was their son.

2007-present ~ 7,852 hours & counting with Boy Scouts of America
Larry joined Scouts when his son was in 1st grade as a Tiger Cub. Larry was Cub Master for Pack 546 and Scout Master for Troop 904. He is now the Charter Organization Representative for JKPC/Troop 904. The joke within BSA is that volunteering is just a 1 hour a week commitment.

2007 to present ~ 1,600 hours and counting with The Children's Emergency Food Book
Helping gather, sort and purchase food throughout the year and especially Christmas time.

2007 to present ~ 704 hours & counting with John Knox Presbyterian Church
Handyman work on campus, like weeding, mowing, carpentry, etc.

If you see Larry Woods around Dublin (he is an avid bike rider), say "Congratulations, Larry!"