Boy Scouts of America Commit to 200 Million Hours of Community Service

Boy Scouts of America
Wednesday, 23 April 1997

(IRVING, Texas) April 23, 1997 -- The Boy Scouts of America, the premier youth-serving organization in the country, has committed to 200 million hours of community service by its youth members in response to the Presidents' Summit for America's Future call to action.

This will help fulfill one of the fundamental goals of the summit: "To provide youth with the opportunity to give back through community service."

"Two hundred million hours is no small undertaking," said John W. Creighton Jr., volunteer president of the BSA. "However, community service is, and always has been, an integral part of the Scouting program."

The commitment calls for the BSA's 4.4 million young people to provide an hour of public service per month for the next four years. Since Boy Scout activities require adult supervision (an average of one adult to three young people), this will also entail more than 60 million hours of adult volunteer work, which are not included in the 200-million-hour commitment.

"Our volunteer leaders are excellent role models, providing mentoring to the youth they serve," Creighton added.

If calculated at minimum wage, the value of this volunteer service would be more than $1 billion. A recent Harris Poll of the values of men and boys in America shows that men who have been Scouts are more likely to assume leadership roles in community organizations and place the needs of others before their own.

In fact, the organization itself was formed on the basis of community service. In 1909 American William Boyce was lost in a dense London fog. A boy approached and asked if he could be of help. The young man took Boyce to his destination, and refused a tip, explaining the Scout philosophy of doing a Good Turn.

Boyce had the Scout take him to meet with Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement in Great Britain. Boyce was so impressed, he decided to bring Scouting to the United States.

Today the Scout slogan remains, "Do a Good Turn daily," and part of the Scout Oath is "to help other people at all times."

For more information, or to contact Boy Scouts of America, see their website at: www.scouting.org