The Boy Scouts of America Matter in Arizona

The Arizona Republic reports that 15-year old San Tan Valley Boy Scout Keaton McPeek has put a “down payment on his goal to supply Banner Ironwood Medical Center with 20,000 stuffed bears to help comfort sick or injured children in its emergency department.”

Keaton McPeek, 15, and Boy Scout Troop 610 recently delivered several thousand bears to the San Tan Valley area hospital, Banner spokesman Corey Schubert said.

Keaton “had decided to focus his Eagle Scout project on Banner Ironwood after watching the hospital’s construction more than a year ago. His efforts will help bring many children a sense of comfort during their visit,” Schubert said.

According to his website, bearsforbanner.com, Keaton was looking for an Eagle project “that would greatly benefit the citizens of San Tan Valley and the surrounding area. … When he saw the new hospital being constructed, he wondered if there might be something he could to help the community through the new hospital.”

Keaton learned that while Ironwood does not have a pediatric facility, the ER often treats sick or injured children, some of whom may need to be transferred to a pediatric center. When Banner representatives told him the ER “can be a very intimidating and scary experience,” Keaton decided to start the bear drive.

Information: donations@ bearsforbanner.com.

Keaton McPeek is the type of young man we hope our children will look up to. Although McPeek is special, he is one of many Scouts doing good works throughout Arizona.

Growing up, my mother worked hard to make sure I participated in our local Scout Troop. My youth was marked by indigent but happy circumstances. Although poor, my mother provided an environment of love, support and encouragement. Through the Boy Scouts of America I was able to participate in many adventures that my mother would never have been able to afford privately.

Adventures aside, I was able to serve others in a meaningful way. Age brings perspective and the knowledge that it was the service projects that the Boy Scouts of America provided that were the most helpful in my development. I will be forever grateful to the parents and volunteers that sacrificed their time and resources on my behalf. In the absence of a father figure in my home, they exemplified the characteristics of a positive male role model.

It is my son and daughter who will now benefit because of my Scouting experiences.

We should all applaud the efforts of parents and volunteers of the Boy Scouts of America. It is not just the good they do for others that is important but the good they do for the young men that are involved in the program.

Do you want to know some facts about the Boy Scouts of America?

Service

In 2010, service projects were conducted by more than 2.7 million youth members and more than 1.1 million volunteers.

• 28,335,249 service hours were reported in 2010.
• $605,240,919 of service was provided by Scouts and leaders to communities across America. (Based on the $21.36 Independent Sector value of volunteer time for 2010)
• Service Projects most commonly reported for Journey to Excellence in 2010 include
• Food collection and distribution
• Litter cleanup/community beautification
• Military support/appreciation
• Conservation projects
• National Park Service Resource

Volunteers

1,111,453 volunteers provided leadership for Scouting programs in 2010.

• On average, Scout volunteers give 20 hours per month in service to Scouting. This equals approximately 266,748,720 hours of volunteer time given to support Scouting in 2010. (Source: Volunteer Outcomes Study, Research & Evaluation)
• $5,697,752,659 of volunteer time was given in 2010 to support Scouting across America. (Based on $21.36 Independent Sector value of volunteer time for 2010)

The numbers above are absolutely amazing.

To learn more about Scouting, please visit the official website of the Boy Scouts of America.

Thomas Grier is a third-year law student at The Ohio State University. A graduate of Arizona State University, Grier writes on constitutional law, politics, and pro-growth policy. 

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