*Mom and Son at Cub Scout Resident Camp at Camp Preston Hunt.*

*Caddo Area Council after-school program at Wake Village Elementary*

Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has enjoyed a 110-year history of providing youth leadership and service programs based on a strong moral code. With 261 local councils in America alone, including Texarkana’s Caddo Area Council, BSA, has proven itself to be a reputable organization. Yet, in February, 2020, Boy Scouts of America filed bankruptcy. BSA’s liabilities exceed its assets by millions of dollars, and it has faced hundreds of lawsuits by Scouts alleging sexual abuse over a period of many years. The bankruptcy filing, however, does not affect the local councils who are chartered as separate 501(c)(3) organizations, independent of the national organization.

The Caddo Area Council, which serves Texarkana and its surrounding communities, continues to be a model organization. “We are governed by a Board of Directors; our bank accounts, our assets and our properties belong to and are governed by our local council,” explains Scout Executive, Anthony Escobar. “The national reorganization does not impact our local council operations.” The Caddo Area council has, in fact, grown in membership. “At the end of 2019, our membership grew by 10.3% and our new units grew by 22%. This was our third consecutive year of membership and new unit growth,” Anthony reports. “In three years, our council recorded 140 new Eagle Scouts. As a result of this growth we have added staff, and we have added new program events and training sessions.” The council has added seven new units since January, and plans to add eight more new units this calendar year.

The Caddo Area Council has demonstrated the highest rate of membership growth in all 87 councils in the entire Southern region. Anthony comments that “we are frequently asked by other councils, ‘How did you do it? What is the secret sauce?’ They also ask us to send them our plan.” What accounts for this surge in local membership? “We very much believe in the philosophy ‘get the right people on the bus and get them in the right seat,’” Anthony explains. “I began my tenure with our Caddo Area Council in January 2017. From Day 1, we began to change the culture within our local Scouting community. We painted a vivid picture of the outcome we seek. We developed a strong business model, increased efficiency, reorganized our council operations, and grew our membership with a focus on serving the underserved.” Anthony credits the Council’s staff and volunteers with its success. “Our staff has the confidence and empowerment to challenge the status quo and to advocate for new ideas and new methods. This is the reason for our success – our people. They are outstanding!”

*Cub Scouts at St. James Day School, following their Pinewood Derby*

The recent Family Scouting initiative has opened Scouting to girls, giving them the same opportunities as boys to learn Scouting’s hallmark skills. Boys and girls have separate troops for older Scouts while Cub Scouts may be separated by pack, or by den within one pack. Sigrunn Yost, veteran mom to two Boy Scouts, is the Scoutmaster for the Caddo Area Council’s Troop 1, a girls’ troop sponsored by St. James Episcopal Church. Sigrunn’s daughter had watched her older brothers grow up in Scouting. “Morgan loved it and always wanted to join in,” Sigrunn explains. “As soon as Morgan learned she could do what her brothers had been doing, she said, ‘Of course I’m signing up.’” Troop 1 currently has six girls from three different schools. “These girls have come together to build lifelong friendships. All of them are working toward getting their Eagle Scout. They are not just coming for social reasons. They want to learn, camp, be adventurous and do all the fun stuff they have seen boys doing.”

*Caddo Area Council Cub Scouts deliver Scouting for Food bags. In 2019, Scouts collected more than 38,000 pounds of food for Harvest Regional Food Bank and other local pantries.*

Caddo Area Council intends to keep its Scouts learning and doing. “We are in the process of building an all-male and all-female contingent for the 2021 National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia,” Anthony states. “We have added new resident camps at Camp Preston Hunt and new Day Camps to be held at Spring Lake Park.” The Council is also including face-to-face training opportunities for all adult leaders as well as expanding corporate and community partnerships with the Scoutreach program that assists the underserved in the community.

Although the national organization is undergoing difficult times, the local Scouting organizations are succeeding in their mission. “I hope more parents see the advantages of Scouting and sign up their children. Boys and girls deserve the lessons and adventures that Scouting provides,” Sigrunn comments. As Anthony avers, “We have become more proactive communicating to our community that Scouting in the Caddo Area Council is strong and growing. We invite folks in our community to join with us! Our council motto is … Scouting is FUN!”

*Adult leaders from Redwater’s Troop 30 with Scout Executive Anthony Escobar*

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Scouting is Fun!