Scouts, Scouters speak to elected officials in D.C. about the importance of Scouting

Sometimes it’s a good idea to remind folks just how relevant Scouting remains today.

That was the purpose of a recent Scouting trip to Washington, D.C., during which Scouts and Scout leaders visited with some pretty important people to highlight the importance of our programs.

“Building on 114 years of serving America’s youth and their families, Scouting America’s goal is to provide young people with a safe environment where they can learn meaningful life skills and have fun, educational experiences, fostering their growth as future leaders,” according to a Scouting America news release.

Scouts and adult leaders met with Senate and Congressional leaders to highlight the importance of programs for the nation’s youth, and to discuss the positive impact these youth programs can have on our communities.

By all indications, the message was well received.

“There is no better program in the nation to instill leadership and good character in our youth than Scouting America,” said Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, co-chair of the Congressional Scouting Caucus and himself a Distinguished Eagle Scout Award recipient.

The Scouting Caucus is a group of Congressmen who were Scouts as youth, are Scouts as adults or who simply support the efforts of the Scouting movement.

An important message

The data shows that Scouting is just as important today as it ever has been.

Amongst those who made the trip to D.C. to convey that message were youth in the Cub Scout and Scouts BSA programs, as well as members of the Venturing, Exploring and Sea Scout programs.

Cub Scouts from the D.C. area provided a Pinewood Derby track and cars for officials to race. No, participants didn’t get to build their cars with their families, but they did get to choose from a nice selection of pre-made vehicles.

At least one of the participants didn’t hesitate when it was his turn to choose.

NASA astronaut and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award recipient Mike Fossum immediately picked out the space shuttle Pinewood Derby car and challenged all of the Cubs Scouts to race.

“For over a century, Scouting America has provided the nation’s premier program for character development and values-based leadership training for more than 130 million young men and women,” says Roger Krone, president, chief executive officer and Chief Scout Executive of Scouting America. “We want to thank our elected officials for their unwavering support for advancing the mission of Scouting, and we look forward to another century of working together.”

Photos by Michael Roytek