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Photo by John Freeburg Click for larger view

Photo by John Freeburg Click for larger view

Photo by John Freeburg Click for larger view

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Nine boy scouts from Troop 59 (Colorado City and Rye) recently spent a week honing their skills in everything from wilderness survival to small boat sailing to horsemanship. But what they were really learning was leadership, self-discipline, and independence.

So I thought I’d write this a bit differently this year as you will be personally benefiting from the results of this week. Year after year we read about how the scouts went off to camp and had a great time; completely true then and now. But what we often leave out of these articles is how this affects you here in the Valley. This is more than just “nice news”.

You see we take boys that are fresh from elementary school, boys that in some cases don’t know what it’s like to be relied upon and trusted to do the right thing without an adult supervising. And while it is true that adults are always overseeing the big picture, it’s far more likely for a question to be answered or a problem to be solved by other boys in leadership positions than by the adults. We are a “boy led” organization. Our boys plan and lead meetings, trips, and campouts.

Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch is spread over ten acres of pine trees, campsites, and trails. Often the campsites are far from the training sites. The boys have to be at their badge classes (often over a mile away) at specific times…and they can’t be late. So a healthy lifestyle becomes critical as well.

Now more to the point, how are you benefiting from the boy scouts? Well, the next time your hands are full and a boy holds the door for you, that’ll be him. You’ll recognize him throughout the year whether he’s in uniform or not because he’ll be the young man calling you “Sir” or Ma’am”. He’ll be the kid who takes the leadership roles in our schools and on our teams. He’ll pick up some trash left in the parking lot just because it was there. As he grows older, he’ll be the guy on time to work, every day. He’ll be the guy who helps out those less fortunate, freely and happily.

If you want to know about the future of our country and the youth primed to take over, just ask a scout leader. We know who they are and how they’re being readied for the significant challenges they will most certainly face. We know them because we’ve seen them grow, both physically and emotionally.

I guess I should add that they all had a great time, earned 32 total badges and learned a ton more than you can imagine. They were exhausted and happy to be home, but to be sure they are different boys that left home for the first time a week earlier.

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