La Mirada 2017: Why Scouting? Why Now?
An Op-Ed - September 5th 2017
By Louis Garcia, Cubmaster Pack 919 - La Mirada
Very recently I’ve learned that this coming Scout year is the 25th anniversary of Cub Scout Pack 919 in La Mirada. In addition, this summer Scouting made national news that caused much discussion, and also, some internal changes within Pack 919 have given cause to reflect on Scouting and my role as Cubmaster. As we begin our new Scout year, I’ve asked myself, why Scouting? Why Now?
If one of the Cub Scouts were to ask me that, I’d tell him, because it’s fun, you’ll have adventures, and you’ll make friends. All the images we have in our mind about Cub Scouts are true. They do go camping and explore the natural places of our world. They do explore museums and have races with boats and cars that they make. They do make friends, tell jokes, and sing songs. Cub Scouts do good deeds in our community and wave our American flag proudly. But beneath all the fun and adventure a Cub Scout is having, a foundation is being laid. That is a foundation of good character. The virtues of Scouting are the foundation that all this fun and adventure is built upon.
If a parent were to ask me why Scouting? Why now? I’d tell them the same thing I told the Cub Scout. But I’d also tell them that Scouting is more important now, than ever before. Our sons grow up in a world not like the world we grew up in. This is a social media world, where most are always logged in and most friendships & relationships are conducted online. This is a world of instant entertainment, where many of our kids have a tablet or smart phone in hand and with a swipe of the finger, they will be locked into the attention that device commands. This a world where we read the head lines, we worry and wonder, does virtue still have a place in our world? Scouting is none of these concerns. Scouting is a place where the Cubs will get paint on their hands, mud on their shoes, and a loyal friend to run beside him all the way to the top of the hill. Scouting is real experience, be it sometimes messy, sometimes hectic, but always fun and always with a sense of purpose.
As a Cubmaster, when I’ve asked myself why Scouting? Why now? My mind goes back to my own Cub Scouting experiences. I was part of Cub Scout Pack 329 that met at then Hutchenson Elementary School in La Mirada. I remember it all with such great clarity. John Banks was my Cubmaster and that man is a giant in my mind. He was a man of such stature, caring with a sense of fun and silliness. I can only hope to be half the Cubmaster he was. I remember my Den Mom (that’s what we called Den Leaders back then), Sandy Banks, the Cubmaster’s wife, such the quintessential mom. She was the one that really kept the Pack on track. Most of all, I remember my friends, long moved on and lost track of, but never forgotten, Greg Medlin, Jeffrey Banks, and Cory Hoover. We had such fun, such adventure. Half way through my own Cubmaster tenure, I realized that I was recreating things from my own childhood Pack. Our campfire Pack Meeting, the tell a joke Pack Meeting, the specific songs we sing at our Pack Meetings, they are all things Pack 329 did when I was a Cub Scout. For me, the memories I have and the adventures I remember, I’d like to pass on that same experience to the Cub Scouts of Pack 919. It is my hope that those boys, when they become parents, will pass their experience on to another generation of Cub Scouts.
As we embark on the 25th anniversary year of Cub Scout Pack 919 in La Mirada, I am excited to be working with an excellent group of parent Leaders, Den Leaders, and all the many wonderful parents that support and encourage their sons. We have good times ahead for our Pack. Why Scouting? Why Now? Because fun, adventure, virtue, and memories that last a lifetime will always be important, be it 107 years ago, 25 years ago or now.
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