Boy Scouts of America; Speaker Matt Miller
“We’ve been around for so long that it’s tempting to assume that everybody knows about us,” Matt Miller of the Coastal Carolina Council told Bluffton Rotarians. “But there are a lot of groups out there competing for attention, and it’s important to let parents know what we have to offer.”
“We’re placing a greater emphasis and focus these days on explaining our goals and our values,” Miller said.
More than a thousand boys in Beaufort and Jasper counties are active in 30 Boy Scout units. The two-county area is part of the Coastal Carolina Council, which comprises coastal counties from Georgetown to Beaufort and inland to include Allendale and Hampton counties.
Miller said Rotary clubs are among the most frequent civic organization sponsors of Boy Scout troops across the country.
“Scouting can help young men make better moral choices over the course of their lives,” said Miller, who spotlighted four key “program goals” as central to the organization’s mission:
1. Scouting Programs will provide an environment for youth that encourages support from parents, adult leaders and the community at large.
2. Scouting programs will empower youth by providing opportunities to become active citizens and productive members of the community.
3. Scouting programs will encourage youth to be involved in extracurricular activities as well as explore and learn new skills.
4. Scouting programs will promote integrity, honesty and responsibility through weekly meetings and outdoor experiences.
Miller also cited impressive findings on Scouting’s value from a 2010 nationwide research study by Baylor University. The study found that men who had been Boy Scouts are more likely to:
· Participate in health and recreational activities.
· Show a greater connectedness to family, neighbors, religious institutions, friends and community groups.
· Show a greater propensity to donate to their communities, in terms of both time and money.
· Be committed to learning and setting personal and professional goals.
· Have character traits related to work ethic, morality, tolerance and respect for diversity.
For more information on Scouting, go to www.scouting.org.
Story by: Jim Foster