Boy Scouts of America

Hey everybody,

I got to visit with Ken from the Boy Scouts, and that was great because I have a personal history with the Boy Scouts. I was a member of the Boy Scouts when I was a young boy.

I remember camping, and I’ll tell you, Boy Scouts is an incredible character builder. It helps teach them those values that we all need. It’s one of those things where you just learn without even knowing that you're learning it. They give you life lessons so that when that when you're in a situation that really challenges you, you've got the skills to cope and handle the problems.

I remember one time at camp when I went to earn my life saving merit badge. They had us jump in the water fully clothed, and I had to take my pants off and tie a knot in them and turn them into a makeshift life preserver right there. Then we had to swim a mile, and for a kid swimming a mile without touching the shore is a heck of a thing.

We’d go camping for a week every year – leave on a Sunday and come back the next Saturday. It was a load of fun. I learned how to cook, learned how to start a fire, and learned how to live outside. Two nights out of the week we’d sleep completely outside. It didn’t matter whether it was raining or not. They’d take our sleeping bags and take us back in the woods and leave us, and we’d have to make our way back to camp by ourselves – just kids! No tent, no nothing! We had our sleeping bag and that was it – for two days. But, man, was it a lot of fun, and I learned a lot.

I know the kids’ lives are touched. The Boy Scouts gives these boys life lessons. They teach them how to be men, and I know they're giving them experiences that'll carry them through the rest of their lives.

Well, y'all have a good weekend.

Blog ya' later,
Dave Bennett