Arrowmen from 11 councils and lodges in North Carolina came together to present an update on Scouting across the state.
The event was based on a previous resolution passed by the North Carolina House of Representatives, to honor the Boy Scouts of America and Arrowmen of North Carolina. The event was first held in 2010--the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America--and has continued annually since then.
Stephen Frien, who was SR-7B Section Chief at the time of the event, said the presentation was a great way to show off what Scouting and the OA is doing across the Tarheel state.
“The 70 plus other Arrowmen from across the state gave me confidence and reaffirmed through their display of character and maturity just how valuable the Scouting program is,” Frien said. “The report showed everyone there that Scouting is not just a youth led organization that provides cheerful service but also a model for what youth can do and how the community can be positively changed through their actions.”
Brothers from across the state started their day at the state’s Supreme Court Building in Raleigh, where NC Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby--a Distinguished Eagle Scout and member of Occoneechee Lodge--welcomed them. They were then led to the Governor’s Mansion, where they were greeted by Governor Pat McCrory. Governor McCrory was presented an official copy of their report. From there, each Arrowman went on self-guided tours of the campus, where they had all-access passes to the grounds.
“McCrory instructed his staff to take down all of the rope-off stands and allow us to go anywhere we would like,” Frein explained.
The day continued on, with a visit to the state capitol building, where to top the day off, the Arrowmen convened at the chambers of the House of Representatives. As honorary pages at the rear of the room, with adult leaders and family members in the balconies above, the formal process of the report to the state began. Speaker Tim Moore, an Eagle Scout, called the meeting into session. Frein officially presented the report to representatives.
The purpose of the report was not only to keep the state informed about the Boy Scouts of America and the Order of the Arrow but was also intended to honor the accomplishments of Scouting within the state.
“In the end, service hours, membership numbers and local projects were presented in addition to a pledge to complete all of the service projects over the course of the next year,” Frein said.
Among the facts and stats included in the report were the more than 71,000 youth members, 27,000 adult volunteers and approximately 6,000 Arrowmen in the State of North Carolina. In 2014, 1,800 Scouts achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Over 565,000 hours of service were completed across the state which is valued at more than $12 million.
In honor of the centennial anniversary of the Order of the Arrow, the OA chapters in North Carolina have pledged to complete a service project in every North Carolina county, 100 in all, to benefit their local communities. This is one of the largest service initiatives that Arrowmen of the state have undertaken. They are looking forward to its completion by the end of the year. Efforts will be done by each of sections of North Carolina, SR-7A, SR-7B and SR-5.
To conclude the day, North Carolina State Senator David L. Curtis welcomed the brothers to the state senate chamber and Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest thanked them for the continued service that the Order of the Arrow and Boy Scouts provide.
This group, a part of a cheerful brotherhood of service, ended their day with a new charge to keep true to the theme of the centennial anniversary: Centuries of Service.