St. Charles Rotary Club hears about Scouting successes

Submitted by St. Charles Noon Rotary

At a recent St. Charles Noon Rotary meeting, Wes Weems, senior district executive of the Three Fires Council of Boy Scouts of America, and Denny Wowra, the council commissioner, gave an update presentation to the Rotary members on the success that local scouting is enjoying.

Weems outlined the many successful scouting programs that the area provides; while Wowra, as the lead district scouting volunteer, spoke to the positive models that scouting volunteers provide to boys and young men.

For over 100 years Scouting’s purpose has been to prepare young people for a lifetime of leadership. The presentation reflected on that rich history and provided a vision of a strong future.

In the Fox River District, which includes St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia, more than 1,739 Cub Scouts, 833 Boy Scouts, 69 Venturers, and 69 units are registered in the district, as of 2011. This Scouting Council partners with community organizations in the district to charter Scouting units. Some of these organizations include churches, a college, a cultural center, and local service groups.

In 2011, 54 Boy Scouts, from the Fox Valley District, earned their Eagle Scout badge, a major achievement since this is the highest rank in Boy Scouting. As part of achieving the Eagle Scout rank, each boy must complete a substantial service project that benefits the community. Local scout units are constantly engaged in service projects for their chartered organizations and other community groups.

Successful district activities, like annual camporees, the Klondike Derby and the Pinewood Derby, have great attendance and supplement unit programs. More than 496 Boy Scouts and 500 Cub Scouts from the district attended summer camp in 2011 at one or more the council’s camps.

Throughout the larger geographic area including parts of DeKalb, Will, Kendall, DuPage, and Kane counties, the Three Fires Council provides quality scouting programs to 22,677 traditional youth members and 14,831 learning for life participants. Out of these numbers 343 scouts achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. The Three Fires Council also served 3001 youth with special needs. Nearly 7,000 youth members also participated in the summer camp programs. The Three Fires Council Boy Scouts of America office is at 415 N. Second St. (Route 31) in St. Charles. For details, call (630) 584-9250.

Rotary International is a global service organization with 1.2 million members in 34,000 Rotary Clubs in 200 countries and geographic areas. Members are men and women who are business, professional and community leaders with a shared commitment to make the world a better place. The club supports local scholarships and community organizations through the various fundraising events. You might consider membership in any of the local clubs. For information about the St. Charles Noon Rotary Club, call Dustin Hawkins, (630) 584-2255.