BANGOR – Though perhaps best known for the work she does in the nation’s capital, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins was honored Thursday for contributions closer to home.

During a ceremony at the Bangor Civic Center, the Caribou native received the 2008 Distinguished Citizens Award from the Boy Scouts of America’s Katahdin Area Council as an audience of about 400 people looked on. It was a moment that almost didn’t happen. As late as 3 p.m. Thursday, Collins wasn’t sure she’d be able to make it back to Bangor in time for the event held in her honor. That’s because the U.S. Senate was in the midst of crucial deliberations regarding federal assistance for the nation’s ailing auto industry.

But Collins made it, with a minute to spare before the 8 p.m. start of the awards portion of Thursday’s ceremony.

“As I was reading the Boy Scouts Oath [which was displayed on a pair of large video screens behind her] I thought it explained why I was late tonight – I was doing my duty to my country,” Collins quipped at the start of her acceptance speech.

She added, “To be recognized for citizenship by an organization dedicated to fostering the values of citizenship is deeply gratifying.

“For 88 years, the Katahdin Area Council of the Boys Scouts of America has successfully carried out its mission of instilling in boys the ideals of citizenship, responsibility, service to others and leadership.

“I am truly grateful to be recognized with this wonderful honor,” she said.

Collins and her family members are no strangers to Scouting, according to event organizers. Her parents, Pat and Don Collins of Caribou, and her younger brother Sam were involved in Scouting, and the senator is a former Girl Scout.

“Susan Collins and her family are the epitome of Scouting values: the commitment to family, community and the nation,” Steve Frost, the council’s volunteer president, said before Thursday’s event. “Senator Collins is one of those people who lives those values every day.

Peter Vigue, chairman of the Pittsfield-based Cianbro Cos. and recipient of the council’s 2002 Distinguished Citizen Award, agreed. “Senator Collins embodies the values of Scouting as she meets her responsibilities to God and country,” he said earlier Thursday.

The annual award banquet is the Katahdin Area Council’s biggest fundraiser. This year’s event was expected to net more than $50,000, according to dinner organizers. The money will fund Scout programs, including leadership development training and summer camps such as Camp Roosevelt in Eddington.