THE VALUE OF SCOUTING
One Gigantic Community
 One Gigantic Community
At the close of the 1920 World Scout
Jamboree, Robert Baden-Powell
challenged the assembled Scouts to
go forth as brothers and help foster
peace throughout the world. “Brother
Scouts, answer me,” he called. “Will you
join in this endeavor?”
Their answer was a resounding “yes.”
In 2007, Eagle Scout Nathan Watson
answered Baden-Powell’s call. The
Murray, Kentucky, teenager
represented the BSA at a reenactment
of the first Boy Scout camp at
Brownsea Island off the southern
coast of England, where he mingled
with Scouts from dozens of other
countries. “It was amazing being so
close to so many different cultures and
countries,” Nathan said.
The Brownsea experience taught
Nathan and his fellow Scouts a
powerful lesson. “We’re all one gigantic
community—regardless of nation,
regardless of the flag we carry above
our heads,” he said. “If I do my part and
keep spreading the word, I can one
day say that I made a difference in this
world and that I helped bring world
unity and world peace.”
To Help Other People
When Webelos Scout Austin
McDonough-Fisher learned that some
of his schoolmates didn’t have money
for school supplies, he took action. The
Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania,
fifth-grader contacted local
businesses, asking them to donate
25 school backpacks and enough
supplies to fill them.
“Austin is a great kid,” said Den Leader
Lynn Hudzik. “He is very
compassionate and very quick to see
things from the other person’s
perspective.”
 Several businesses responded to
Austin’s appeal, and he easily
exceeded his goal. In the end,
he delivered 104 backpacks to three
local schools. “There was not one child that walked
in this school in September that didn’t
have a new backpack,” said Barbara
DeCarlo, principal of New Garden
Elementary School.
Austin was on hand when some of the
students received their backpacks.
“The looks on the kids’ faces when
they got the new book bags was really
great,” he said. “You just get really
happy when you see their faces.”
Cubmaster for Life—and Love
When Alberta Reed’s pastor asked her
to help organize a Cub Scout pack at
her Tampa, Florida, church, she
reluctantly agreed. When the church
couldn’t find a Cubmaster, she
reluctantly took the job. Forty years
later, she’s still the Cubmaster, but she
isn’t reluctant anymore.
“I’ve enjoyed working with the boys,”
she said. “In fact, I love it. That’s the
only way you can really stay in
something and be dedicated: You’ve
got to have some love there.”
The love Reed has for her Scouts is
evident. “We have little guys up here
that don’t have a father at home or
brothers at home. They need to get
out and explore themselves with other
people,” she said. “I think that makes a
big difference in their lives as they
grow up.”
Reed has made a difference in other
people’s lives as well. She has taught
generations of Scouting professionals
how to make the program work in the
inner city, and they’ve put those
lessons into practice far beyond Reed’s
College Hill neighborhood. |