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Leadership, the Boy Scout Way

Unfortunately, most people have only a surface understanding of the Boy Scouts organization. That same lack of understanding leads to an even more devastating lack of appreciation of what these individuals, especially those achieving Eagle Scout status, are capable of contributing to society in the form of much needed leadership.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) finely crafted and tweaked its mission statement over the years to reflect critical diversity, equity, and inclusion. That statement reads:

The Boy Scouts of America promotes a culture where each youth, volunteer, and employee feels a sense of belonging and builds communities where every person feels respected and valued. Leading by example and encouraging others to live by the values expressed by the Scout Oath and Scout Law, we welcome families of all backgrounds to help prepare young people to serve as successful members
and leaders of our nation’s increasingly diverse communities. 

Young people, such as 15-year-old Lane Lutsinger of Shady Shores, learn from the very start of their BSA involvement that solid, responsible leadership does not stand alone but, instead, must be bolstered by attributes such as integrity and honesty.

“I’ve been in scouting 10 years,” Lane said, “and it’s impossible to list everything it’s taught me and all the ways it’s made me a better person. For me, I think the leadership aspect has been the most important element.

“I also know scouting and the things I’ve accomplished through it will be a plus for me on college, and later, on job applications.” He’s correct in his thinking, since those who do understand some of the finer points of scouting realize one of the BSA’s challenges is to teach, and to inspire, these young people. The focus is to empower them, through knowledge and confidence, to take charge of their own learning and growth.

Not all Scouts go on to achieve their Eagle Scout designation. It’s hard work and time consuming. The first step is to decide on a project, which must be approved before the work begins, and one of the criteria is the finished project must be a lasting benefit to the community.

One day, while checking out Facebook, Lane saw a post from Kristy Bleau. Most people familiar with Lake Cities activities recognizes her name. If Kristy sees a need in her community, she immediately moves into action mode.

Kristy had experience working with Scouts, making it natural for her to turn to them to fill a need at the Lake Dallas Animal Shelter. Animal Control Officer Erika Menendez did everything she could to provide the shelter dogs a “normal” environment, which included outdoor time in the concrete runs. The problem was those same concrete enclosures became brutally hot during the Texas summers.

“Kristy’s post asked for a Scout who was looking for an Eagle project to contact her. I did and it turned out she wanted some shades or awnings installed over each run, to provide a shaded area for the dogs during their time outside. 

“I started a GoFundMe to raise money for the supplies needed for the seven runs. That included high-density polyethylene for the actual covers, poles, e-rings, and other accessories for installation. I was responsible for raising the funds, handling all the paperwork for the project, keeping track of every detail so I could provide an accurate accounting, and leading/directing the 15 Scouts from Troop 60 who were assigned to help me. Those Scouts receive community service credit for their work.

“We started working the last week of July, when it was seriously hot. We were done with the actual installation and clean-up by the third week in August.  Everything moved quickly once all the parts were in place, and best of all, the dogs actually used them.”

According to Erika, the shades made a great area for the dogs to nap after getting in some play time.

Sadly, the Lake Dallas Animal Shelter closed in September of this year due to budget constraints, but Lane’s shades are still there. And they’ll be waiting if the city decides to re-open the shelter somewhere down the road.

author avatar
Diane Ciarloni

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