You’re a dream maker.
“ If you had told me that 5 years ago I would be an Assistant Director at camp, I would have said “Kids like me never have their dreams come true.
Scouting got me where I am today. Scouting saved me. Your support made my dreams come true. “
Edder got his start in Scouting when he was 12 years old, just a few years after moving to America. He was struggling in school, and his mom saw the influence hanging out with the wrong crowd had on him.
Uh Oh.
Like you, Edder’s mom knew the value and impact Scouting makes on a young person.
“ I wasn’t sure what a Scout did or how I fit in until I went to the first meeting. As I walked into the big gym there were a lot of kids and I was scared of seeing new faces. I thought they would all be looking at me like I was their dinner. Instead, everyone started saying hi to me. It was really cool and I immediately felt more secure and like I was part of the group.
I belonged.”
Your investment in Scouting provided him with new opportunities where he shot a bow and arrow, earned merit badges, and spent lots of time out in nature. You were there helping him become a better person and student.
Things were good. Until they weren’t…
When Edder was 13, his own father violently beat him for being 4 minutes late for curfew. He had to do what no child should ever have to do – he called the police, and watched in shock as his father was dragged off to jail.
The incident left Edder in a very dark place. The young man shut down and irrational thoughts crept in. His insistent mother got him in therapy and kept him in Scouting – the two became a healing place. He learned to work through is pain and his troop became his family, allowing him to forget his problems for 90 minutes a week.
“Although I would never acknowledge it as a pre-teen, Scouting and therapy were my escapes from reality.”
In the last 4 years, Edder has healed and attributes World Jamboree, summer camp and weekly meeting with his troop to being able to move forward.
“I’m 17 and my life is very different thanks to Scouting.” Thanks to you.
When you support Scouting, you remove unspeakable challenges youth face and you ensure kids are prepared. For life.
“Last year, my dream came true when I got to be a program counselor at Many Point. This year, my friend and fellow Scout Aaron inspired me to apply for Assist Tower Director and I got it!”
Edder says without Scouting, without being surrounded and supported by people, like you, who believe in investing in kids, he would not have the ability to help others overcome life’s challenges.
You made a dream come true. How many more dreams will you grant by supporting Scouting?
