PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2023

Girls in Scouting take part in kayaking and archery at Ingersoll Scout Camp near London Mills

BREAKING BARRIERS Not long after girls were allowed to join Scouts BSA, Celeste Saul of Dunlap became the first female Eagle Scout in the W.D. Boyce Council. Saul joined newly formed Troop 1627 in East Peoria and quickly set about completing the requirements for the highest Scout rank. They include learning outdoor skills and camping, holding leadership positions, and completing a minimum of 21 merit badges. Most Scouts take up to five years to complete the Eagle requirements before age 18. She did it in 23 months. Saul said she was attracted to the program by the outdoor adventures and the by the sibling competition, as her younger brother was in a Dunlap troop and she wanted to do the same things he was doing. “Scouting has given me a lot of life skills, like knowing what to do in certain situations. I have gained a lot of leadership and public speaking skills,” said Saul, who will participate in the National Scout Jamboree this summer in West Virginia. ‘FUN … AND LEARNING ALONG THE WAY’ Mike Gray, the 2023 summer camp director at ISR, is also an Eagle Scout (2010) who spent nine years on camp staff as a youth. He has a full-time career, but for the second year now he has returned to Scouting. “It’s the friendships, and watching the staff and Scouts grow and develop and go through the same experiences I did,” said Gray. “Scouting plays a huge part in my life every day.”

Gray said he has witnessed many changes at summer camp, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) offerings, “but a lot of the classic, core outdoor programs have stayed the same.” Why Scouting? “You learn so many life skills, more than is generally known by families that are not in the program,” Gray said. “There are so many character development opportunities and leadership positions. You get to plan events, learn to speak in public, learn to solve problems and be respectful. “We do all of these things in such a fun way that you don’t realize you are learning something along the way.” CELEBRATING 50 YEARS, LOOKING AHEAD The Council kicked off its anniversary celebrations last summer. They will culminate at a camporee on the riverfront in Ottawa Sept. 22-24. Blumenberg said as many as 2,000 Scouts are expected to participate in camping, fishing, watersports, archery and other activities. There will be fireworks and evening entertainment. A history booklet has been published and the Council is in the midst of a 50th anniversary capital campaign. “For organizations and individuals interested in developing the leadership and youth in their community, Scouting is a great place to invest,” Blumenberg said. Fifty years is not the end of the line for the W. D. Boyce Council. There was healthy 9% growth across all programs and districts in 2022, on par

with national growth and a reassuring reversal from declining membership during COVID, said Blumenberg. “One of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is that families and parents are focused on things that will make a big impact in their kid’s life,” he said. “I believe families see that and experience that in Scouting.” ‘A WONDERFUL WORLD’ As it has done from the beginning more than 100 years ago, Scouting pursues four goals: character development, leadership development, citizenship training and personal fitness. These values are incorporated in the Scout Oath and Scout Law, which Stobaugh said provide “a moral compass for kids. “The Scout Oath and Law teach kids how to be responsible not only for themselves, but for others,” Stobaugh said. “Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if we could all live by the Scout Oath and Law?” SCOUTING REFERENCES Find a Scouting unit near you at BeAScout.org. For more about Scouting history, visit the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum or go to its website at ottawahistoricalscoutingmuseum.org.

Scott Fishel is a senior communications executive at WTVP and a longtime Scouting volunteer

28 JULY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE