The Scouting Impact on Youth Continued…

From the moment he joined Scouting, each time we saw him the young boy smiled with enthusiasm. Sometimes he didn’t always understand but he never gave up and never showed his frustration. When he did finally complete the task at hand, his cheerful smile grew. The leaders in the troop knew that things were tough on him at home, but they always encouraged him, praised him and let him know that he was loved.

As the young boy’s journey in Scouting progressed, he grew not only in stature, but as a person. This young boy was becoming a man. He excelled in rank and merit badges. He attended practically every meeting and camp out. He participated in almost everything that he could and did so with that infectious smile, never once complaining about his home life or even the sometimes chaotic nature of a boy-lead troop. He has become like a son to our entire troop family.

His journey as a youth in Scouting will soon come to an end. In his six years with the troop, he has shown great leadership, fortitude, compassion and perseverance. He will soon obtain the rank of Eagle Scout and one can only imagine how bright a future he has before him. Had it not been for the dedication and commitment from a group of volunteers many years ago, who knows how things might have turned out for this young man. Every time he is around us, we smile with pride for this one young boy, now a man, just as he has smiled along his journey in Scouting.