The Garden City Telegram
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Scout future
Published 1/26/2010 in Commentary : Editorial
Boys and girls for generations have gained valuable skills through scouting.
It's been a century-long tradition for the Boy Scouts of America, which is marking its 100th anniversary with a nationwide tour.
The public is invited to greet the Century of Values Nationwide Road Tour at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Finney County Courthouse Statue of Liberty. Members of the local Santa Fe Trail Council of Boy Scouts plan to participate in the festivities, to include a visit from the Century of Values Nationwide Road Tour team that's covering some 45,000 miles in visiting all Boy Scout councils in the nation.
The event will include a presentation to the local council of a mural depicting scouting over the years -- a colorful history of achievement, service and success.
Scouting has continued to forge ahead in spite of challenges, not the least of which have been membership declines over the years due to competition from sports and other extracurricular activities.
Moving forward, the organization has embraced the challenge of convincing youngsters that scouting can be a cool, fun way to build knowledge and skills in areas ranging from climbing and rappelling to citizenship.
As would be expected with any 100-year-old organization, there also has been controversy. Most notably, a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court ruling said the Boy Scouts, as a private organization, had a right to exclude gays from its leadership ranks -- a policy that ended up costing councils as governments and charities nationwide curtailed support because the policy violated their own anti-discrimination codes.
Intolerance sends a poor message -- especially for an organization that steadfastly has delivered so many valuable lessons along with another constant in the good, old-fashioned fun that has created memories shared by grandfathers and their grandsons.
Over the years, Boy Scouts have followed the same law: "A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent."
Instilling virtue and honor in youngsters never goes out of style. While the Scouts look to changes that help them stay viable, they can build on that strong tradition in charting a course for the future.
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