On Tuesday, Nov. 18, Edgecomb residents Bob and Carol Leone’s names were added to an exclusive list in their community. Their names were placed alongside the Edgecomb Congregational Church’s, fire department’s and Louise Hardina’s  as volunteers who have made the community a better place to live.

The Leones are the most recent recipients of the Maine Spirit of America Volunteer Recognition Award. The organization has acknowledged the special efforts of volunteers since 1991.

The award has recognized charitable organizations such as a local food pantry to politicians like U.S. Senator Angus King and former Gov. John Baldacci. The award is presented annually in 100 towns encompassing six Maine counties.

The award recognizes an individual’s or group’s contribution to the community. The organization recognized the Leones and other Lincoln County recipients during a ceremony celebrating their volunteerism. The event was held at the county communications center in Wiscasset.

The Leones — like the other recipients — were nominated by their local boards of selectmen. The Edgecomb Board of Selectmen nominated the Leones last fall for their 14-plus years of community service.

In 2000, Bob Leone became chairman of the Schmid Land Preserve. The seven-person board manages a 1,000-acre parcel and two trail system in Edgecomb.

But the Leones are best known for beginning “Teens to Trails,” which promotes outdoor recreation activities for teenagers.

“Teens to Trails” provides grants to local high schools to start an outing club. Teens to Trails, also known as T3, has a website with information about how to start a club and places to go for recreational adventures.

This is not the first time the Leones have been recognized for their efforts. In 2011,  the couple was one of eight winners in the L.L. Bean “Outdoors Hero’s Award.” The Leones won $5,000 in the online poll.

The Leones were aware of the online poll, but being named as the town’s Spirit of America recipient came as a complete surprise.

“We didn’t know anything about it,” Carol Leone said. “It was a big surprise, we didn’t know we were nominated or anything. All we got was a letter in the mail informing us of the ceremony.”

The Leones started Teens to Trails in 2006. The program encourages high students around the state to share the family’s love of the outdoors. The Leones enjoyed sharing their love of hiking, kayaking and camping with their two daughters. As their children grew, they began inviting their daughter’s friends to share their outdoor adventures.

The Leones moved to Maine in the 1980s believing “everybody” shared their love of the outdoors. But as they witnessed their daughters’ friends experience a long hike or an overnight camping trip, they realized that Maine natives weren’t necessarily prepared for outdoor recreation.

“It became pretty apparent that their friends didn’t spend much time outside and weren’t really prepared for it,” she said. “When you stopped and looked around, we realized it wasn’t a normal thing for teens to do anymore.”

After their daughter Sara’s death in a car accident in 2005, the couple decided to honor her memory by sharing her love of the outdoors with teenagers around the state. The Leones began T3 with the hopes of starting an outing club in every Maine high school.

So far the couple estimates about 80 clubs are active which is about one-third of their goal, according to Bob Leone.

“It’s mostly about finding a person in the school willing to be adviser,” said Carol Leone. “We look for someone who is willing to organize and get it started. Some are pretty receptive because it’s something they were looking to do, but didn’t know how to. And others say an outing what?”

T3 began as an all-volunteer organization headquartered in the Leones’ home. It now has four part-time employees in a Brunswick office. The Leones use the awards and grants from organizations like the Quimby Family and Maine Horizon foundations to fund their endeavor. In the past year, T3 provided over a dozen clubs with $500 this year. And since 2006, it has provided $44,000 to 77 clubs.

“The money is enough to get a club started,” Carol Leone said. “It may be only enough money to put some gas in the bus to get the kids on their way to their first outing, but it’s a start.”

The Leones host a major event every two years at Acadia National Park and hold a “rendezvous” on Columbus Day weekend for clubs from around the state. The event provides students an opportunity to experience sleeping under the stars, ocean kayaking, mountain climbing and hiking. The students also interact with other students from around the state.

“It is a unique experience for them,” Bob Leone said. “All of the outdoors stuff is new, but meeting students from a rival school and making new friends is another great experience.”

The first day is filled with workshops about recreational activities and park service projects, according to the Leones.

“The workshop can be a simple as learning how to put up a tent,” Carol Leone said. “They students also spend time cleaning up the grounds or doing some work like replacing the signage around the park.”

On the second day, the students enjoy outdoor recreation activities.

Another award ceremony will be held later this year in Augusta. The six commissioner boards (Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Somerset Kennebec, Androscoggin and Waldo) will each select an individual or organization as the county Spirit of America Volunteer Recognition Award.