As my two young sons finished their respective sport seasons this year, I reflected back to my own involvement in different organizations as a child and a thought occurred to me. I no longer play baseball or football. My body and my talents were nowhere near enough for me to be a professional or collegiate athlete. Those sports taught me teamwork and skills but didn’t really build on my character or teach me life habits that I could use in the future. Rather, the Scouts BSA certainly did and does so today.

I’m Richey Kemmling, the new Cub Scout Master of Jacksonville’s Pack 17—we are currently recruiting kids (Scouting now accepts girls as well) 1st through 4th grade to join our program. The Scouting Program teaches and supports children in their development by promoting behaviors and values such as:

  • honesty, courtesy, and kindness
  • promoting physical fitness as a component in life
  • learning valuable skills like knot tying and how to handle equipment and tools
  • environmental stewardship
  • active citizenship through volunteering
  • appreciation of and time in the outdoors
  • the value of faith and reverence in a child’s development

All of these lessons combine to create a program for your child that includes monthly content-driven meetings, summer camps, community service, and monthly activities such as hikes and rocket launches.

An added bonus, and one that few other activities offer, is that this is an organization in which parents can actively spend time and interact with their children. Parents do not sit on the sidelines or simply drop their kids off for an hour—this program encourages and requires parents to be involved with their own child and those of the pack.

When I look back at my involvement in Scouting, I realize how many of those lessons I carry today in my life. It affects the way I work, the way I live, and the way I parent. Invest in who your child will become and please join us for another exciting year of Cub Scouts in Jacksonville.

Please contact me to learn more about scouting at 541-840-0841 or email rkemmling@acacompliancegroup.com.