Scouts from across the country joined elected officials in Washington DC to highlight the importance of Scouting
IRVING, TX (July 17, 2024) – Scouts and leaders from Scouting America joined Senate and Congressional leaders in Washington last week to highlight the importance of programs for the nation’s youth and discuss the positive impact these youth programs have on our communities.
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.
“There is no better program in the nation to instill leadership and good character in our youth than Scouting America,” said Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, co-chair of the Congressional Scouting Caucus and himself a Distinguished Eagle Scout Award recipient.
Washington officials were joined by Scouting America youth in the Cub Scout and Scouts BSA programs, as well as members of the Venturing, Exploring and Sea Scout programs. Bringing real excitement and competition to the meeting, Cub Scouts from Pack 98 of National Capitol Area Council provided a Pinewood Derby track and cars for officials to race. Special guest NASA astronaut and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award recipient Mike Fossum immediately picked-out the Space Shuttle Pinewood Derby car and challenged all 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,” said Roger Krone, president and chief executive officer 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.”
About Scouting America
Scouting America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”
Scouting America welcomes all of America’s youth into its programs. Our goal is to give them fantastic experiences in the outdoors, and elsewhere, where they can grow with us in a safe environment. More than 130 million Americans have been through our programs since our founding, and currently more than 1 million youth are served by 477,000 dedicated adult volunteers in local councils throughout the country.
To learn more about Scouting America’s mission, visit Scouting.org.
Media Contact:
Gordon Shattles
Director, Corporate Communications
Gordon.Shattles@Scouting.org