Volunteering

I dedicate my time away from “work” to my “why!” My “why” is to leave things better than I found them and I decided to make that happen by volunteering with Boy Scouts of America.

Leading Youth

I have been a Scout Master, a Committee Chair, Merit Badge Councilor and more! For 8 years, I guided a Troop and found the efforts rewarding beyond my wildest imagination. Helping youth achieve greatness and mentoring them into future leaders is a great way to make things better. I did not start out thinking I would be a Leader. I joined because my son wanted to be an Eagle Scout. When the Troop needed a new leader, I was voted in and took the responsibility seriously and made it fun!

One of my favorite ways to start a campout is by reminding everyone, “This is not a vacation or a luxury trip. This is an adventure we are embarking on today. Adventures don’t follow rules or have fixed timetables, so if you are looking for that head home now. However, if you are seeking fun and the unexpected, let’s get going!”

Training others to become Leaders

As much as I loved being Scout Master, there is a point in time when one should step away and look at other ways to help. I was asked to become an instructor, a Troop Guide in Wood Badge. Wood Badge is the highest level of leadership training in Scouting. Troop Guide is the face of the course and the one responsible for teaching individually. There are other presenters, but the TG is the one focused on the individual participants. Little did I know when I said yes to a 1-year commitment of training and preparation that it would turn into 5 years!

It takes about 5 years to become a Wood Badge Course Director. You have to work your way through a variety of positions and then, if you are lucky, you are asked to lead. You must select a team of instructors, usually 14, and then work through the curriculum. That includes several “dry runs” of the material, building props and camping. Over 1000 hours of prep go into a course and you did it 5 times!

Once you have your crew, then you must go and recruit participants that will have to give up 2 weekends, 3 days each and commit to an 18-month deadline for a project. The requirement to earn your certificate of completion and your beads – these are the outward symbol of the course – you must complete your project or “ticket” within 18 months.

Wood Badge is a life altering transformative experience! I have had many participants come to me after a Wood Badge course and express how they were changed by the experience. They were ready to quit Scouting all together but seeing the staff and participating with like-minded individuals changed all that for them. We teach and embody Servant Leadership and it shows.

Service with a Smile

Scouting’s Honor Society is called the Order of Arrow. You can’t decide one day that you want to join, you have to be elected/selected to join. The OA as it is called, is dedicated to Service. Service to Scouting, Service to the Community, Service to all and part of the oath that you take is to, “… preserve a cheerful spirit even in the midst of irksome tasks and weighty responsibilities.”

It is service to others while keeping a smile on your face. I have been privileged to be asked to lead a variety of work projects throughout South Florida for the OA. Below are a few examples.

Kayak Storage

After Hurricane Irma hit the Florida Keys, many of us in the OA were asked to help rebuild Camp Sawyer. Sawyer sits on Scout Key about 30 miles north of Key West. It took many weeks of work, but we got Sawyer back into shape. I showed some of my fellow Scouters the value of a woodworking Jig. It took me 30 minutes to build it, but it allowed us to build the legs for 16 picnic tables in 35 minutes. No one has ever looked at me like I am crazy when I say I am going to build a jig anymore.

In addition to benches, we had to rebuild a storage areas for our Kayaks and Stand Up paddle Boards. Below are a couple of pictures of the process of adding a roof to a fenced off area of camp so we could keep the equipment out of the sun.

Floating Docks

Just south of Sawyer is Sea Base. This is part of the Boy Scout’s National program and they have an amazing set of facilities. Scouts can spend a week at sea learning how to sail. Sea Base was kind enough to give us a place to rest while we rebuilt Sawyer after Irma. Their facility, though affected by the storm, handled the effect better and as a bonus they had A/C in their sleeping quarters.

 As a way of saying thanks to Sea Base, we help built two floating docks that they use for moving equipment around during their activities, see below. In addition to the Docks, we built a roof over a Pergola to give campers a break from the sun and extended the roof on a maintenance building so that engines could be repaired away from the sun.

Benches

Part of the OA process are a series of ceremonies that are held around a fire in an area called a Ceremonies Ring. The ring at our main camp was unfinished and needed a face lift and some care. Below you will see pictures of the process of building wooden benches for the Ring. In addition to the benches, a fire ring was built and stands for holding the sashes we wear during events.

Being Honored

We recognize our volunteers in many different ways in Scouting. The OA has an annual “Award Recognition” ceremony where we do just that! One of the highest awards that an Arrowman, that is what you are called when you become part of the OA, is the Vigil Honor.  

In 2019, I was surprised and blessed with the Vigil Honor for my work and dedication to our youth. What makes it all the more special is that it came from the youth, not from the adults. Being Vigil does not mean that your work is over. Part of being awarded is an understanding that you give because you want to and not for the awards you will receive. So, it is a recognition of your character far more than a reward for work you have done.

I hope this brief summary of my efforts with Boy Scouts of America was entertaining to read and informative. I continue to be an active member of the OA and sit on the Properties Committee of South Florida Council. I am the unofficial “Carpenter” for our Council and get called upon for all kinds on interesting projects. It is an honor to serve and a privilege to help our youth become leaders.