Scout Executive 


Grand Rapids, Michigan

Supporting Materials

Outreach Scouting Programs

Haverhill, Massachusetts

Scouting teaches skills that help youth develop into quality citizens. Organizations that are interested in nurturing youth for the betterment of the community will find Scouting to be a positive form of community outreach.  More than ever, all young people, regardless of residence in a urban, rural or suburb setting, need the guidance and mentoring that Scouting provides. Scouting's constructive educational program is a healthy alternative to the negative influences youth face.


As a Scouting professional with years of membership service, I'm extremely proud of the outreach programs I have been part of to reach the underserved youth of our communities and encouraged to do more for those that need the life-lessons provided through membership with the Boy Scouts of America.  I have recorded some of the highlights of my experiences below for your review and thank you for your efforts as we all strive to provide a life-changing experience for all youth. 

A key essential to the success of Outreach programs is funding.  Councils that I have had the honor to serve have found that dedicated budgets funded by a variety of avenues can make the outreach programs self-sufficient and quality in nature. Sources of funding include foundation grants, special event fundraising for outreach, individual donors, and United Ways.  

In the Mount Baker​ Council, we identified a large Hispanic population in the agricultural area of the Skagit Valley.   We have begun an outreach program to serve those families with another non-profit, the Children of the Valley.  We secured a commitment from a donor for $10,000 a year to support a Cub Scout Pack of 25 youth.  In 2023, that program expanded to serve over 125 youth.  We have also had the Scouts at our camping facility for Day Camp. 

As the largest city of the Clinton Valley Council and the most diverse in ethnicity (80% minority), the local community organizations, especially the Pontiac School District and the Black Ministerial Alliance, were instrumental in helping provide a Scouting program to over 2,500 young people during my tenure as Director of Field Service.   The Council had in-school, after-school and community center programs happening year-round.  The Council invested in a full-time Scoutreach Executive position and several part-time staff to help make the program successful.  Funding came from the United Way, several Foundations and a City-Wide Scouting Achievers Luncheon.

In the Voyageurs Area Council, headquartered in Hermantown, MN, the outreach focus centered on our Native American population, mostly on the tribal reservations and within the city of Duluth.  During my service as Scout Executive, our team of volunteers and staff were able to start a Native American outreach program that served three of the seven reservations.   The Council was also able to serve the Native American population within Duluth, through the city-core Scouting delivery program at the Copeland and Valley Youth Community Service centers.

In the Yankee Clipper Council of northeast Massachusetts and southeast New Hampshire, the outreach program focused on the urban youth-at-risk population within the large minority mill-towns of Massachusetts, including Lawrence.  Lawrence has a vibrant Hispanic population, mostly from the Dominican Republic.  Through a grant written by our area team, Harvard Pilgram Healthcare provided a substantial starter grant for Urban Outreach programs that was successfully launched in 2013 in Lawrence.  The City of Lynn and its diverse population also benefited from the grant support.

Everett, washington

Hermantown, Minnesota

The President Ford Field Service Council has had a outreach program, with an active Scoutreach Committee, for a few years before my arrival as Scout Executive.  The United Ways in Grand Rapids and Muskegon were the largest financial supporters of the programs along with a small Golf Outing.   In the past two years, the Council has increased funding support beyond the United Ways through new foundation grants, growing sponsorships of the Golf Outing and adding the Fulfilling the Dream DCD event with focus on the Whitney Young award.  With this increased funding, the Council's outreach membership, especially in Cub Scouts and Exploring has grown tremendously. 


The program delivery has also focused on STEM programs ($15,000 investment in robotic kits, Legos, digital microscopes, tablets and computers) and workforce preparation.  Campership funding was also secured to send more outreach-served youth to local day camps and resident camps.  

Pontiac, Michigan