Boy Scouts Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

North Central W.Va. Boy Scouts Council Elects First Female President

Local scouting leader Amy Garbrick was elected as the first female president of the governing board for the Boy Scouts of America Mountaineer Area Council, based in north central West Virginia.

Amy Garbrick, a scouting leader from Morgantown, was elected president of the governing board for the Boy Scouts of America Mountaineer Area Council Feb. 8.

Garbrick’s election earlier this month marked the first time a woman ever served as president of the council’s governing board. The council oversees scouting programs across 12 counties in north central West Virginia.

The role of president is generally held for three years. Jack Walker spoke to Garbrick about her plans for her new position, as well as gender inclusion in scouting since the Boy Scouts went co-ed in 2019.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Walker: To begin, could you just tell me a little bit about the new position you were appointed to?

Garbrick: I was appointed as the first female chair of the Mountaineer Area Council Boy Scouts of America. And that is a position that I will hold for — traditionally, it’s been about three years.

Walker: Could you also tell me a little bit about your background in scouting? I know that you had some experience running a Cub Scout troop.

Garbrick: Sure. So, back in 2013, I was a member of Reedsville United Methodist Church in Preston County, and one of our church members asked me. He said, ‘Amy, I’m going to start a Cub Scout pack here at our church, and I wanted to see if you would help me.’ … My sons were four and six, and six years old was, at the time, the youngest that you could be. You had to be in the first grade to be in the Cub Scouts. And he said, ‘Amy, I would like you to help me.’ And I said, ‘Okay, sure.’

So I thought he was going to bring them all to my house, and he was going to teach them “scout things” while like, I baked cookies, and they were just all hanging out at my house. The next week at church, he brought me the Cub Scout manual, basically, and he said, ‘Okay, let me know when you’re gonna schedule your first meeting, and you’re in charge.’

I said, ‘I don’t know anything about scouting.’ And he said, ‘Amy, you’ll learn it.’ That was in 2013, and we started out with six boys. That was before girls were in the organization. Then, when I stepped away as the cub master in 2020, we had over 50 boys and girls in our Cub Scout pack.

Walker: I know this is new to you, obviously, but are there any things you’re particularly looking to accomplish in your tenure?

Garbrick: I mean, it’s actually pretty simple. I want to make sure that everyone in north central West Virginia knows that the Boy Scouts of America is here for them. There is a pack or a troop somewhere nearby.

I would love to just get our word out there that scouting is still very much alive here in our counties, and we’re not just the ones that teach boys how to go camping. We teach everything from leadership and character development to citizenship and fitness. We teach all of those things to boys and girls in all different ages of life. We’re not just teaching kids how to tie knots and go camping. We’re so much more than that.

Any child, as long as you’re in kindergarten and up — any child, boys and girls both, are welcome in the Boy Scouts of America.

Walker: You mentioned that girls are also allowed to get involved in scouting now beyond the Girl Scouts, which is a separate entity. Could you tell me about that trend over the years, and how it has impacted the scouting experience from your perspective as someone who is overseeing a lot of these programs?

Garbrick: So girls in scouting is actually not new. Girls have been involved in scouting for decades. In other programs of the Boy Scouts of America, it wasn’t until the past five or six years that nationally girls were welcomed into the Cub Scouts, as well as into the Scouts BSA program. So that’s the younger girls in kindergarten all the way up to the age of 18. They were welcomed into the program about five or six years ago.

Honestly, I’m so glad for it. I was the cubmaster when we welcomed our first girl into our pack. Her name was Kennedy. I’ll never forget, she was so excited that now she actually got to not only come to the meetings because she was already coming with her older brother. Now she gets to come to the meetings and actually participate and earn advancement and earn recognition. So she was so excited. The girls at the older level, at the troop level — they joined the Boys Scouts of America in 2019, and they have hit the ground running.

Walker: Now, you’re obviously the first woman to hold this position. What does that mean for you, and how is it going to impact the way that you approach this new role?

Garbrick: Sure. So, it’s obviously very exciting. I’m excited mainly to show young girls and young women that yes, I am a woman, and I’m in the Boy Scouts of America. And you can be, too.

Really, if I can get just another handful of girls to join the program then I’m doing my job. I really just want young girls and young women to look up to me and to see, ‘Hey, there’s a woman who is leading this organization. I should join and see what it’s all about.’

Amy Garbrick attends the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree in 2023. She is pictured beside her sons Tyler and Ethan, from left.

*Photo Credit: Amy Garbrick*

A Conversation With New Mountaineer Area Council Boy Scout Chair Amy Garbrick, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, the Mountaineer Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves 12 counties in north central West Virginia. On Feb. 8, the council appointed the first woman to serve as its governing board president. Jack Walker spoke with new president Amy Garbrick about her scouting background and gender inclusivity in scouting since the Boy Scouts became co-ed in 2019.

On this West Virginia Morning, the Mountaineer Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves 12 counties in north central West Virginia. On Feb. 8, the council appointed the first woman to serve as its governing board president. Jack Walker spoke with new president Amy Garbrick about her scouting background and gender inclusivity in scouting since the Boy Scouts became co-ed in 2019.

Also, in this show, West Virginia, like most of the country, is enjoying record setting low unemployment numbers after the coronavirus pandemic. For The Legislature Today, Briana Heaney sat down with Josh Sword, president of West Virginia’s AFL-CIO union, and Del. Clay Riley, R-Harrison, to discuss two bills that would reduce unemployment benefits in the state.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas is our news director and producer.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Boy Scouts’ Growing Impact On Female Members

As the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree continues this week in Fayette County, there are more females on-site than ever before.

As the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree continues this week in Fayette County, there are more females on site than ever before. There’s a growing impact on girls furthering their scouting ambitions, and the boys are learning a new thing or two as well.

Females in the BSA are nothing new. In 1969, the Sea Scouts welcomed females. Girls have been members of Venturing, a core scouting program for young men and women ages 14 through 20, since 1998. Girls were welcomed into the Cub Scouts in 2018, and joined the newly formed Scouts BSA in 2019. There are now scout troops for girls, for boys and co-ed troops.

Volunteer Jamboree Chairman Tico Perez said it is an extraordinary addition to welcome female BSA Scouts for the first time to the 2023 National Jamboree.

“I was watching units side by side, putting their tents together in their campsite yesterday,” Perez said. “All the boys were working on their own tents and getting it together. And all the girls were in swarms working on a tent and the next tent and the next 10. The teamwork and the communication was phenomenal. So it’s a difference in style. And it’s a beautiful thing for our boys to learn.”

Kim Irwin, a scoutmaster with a female troop in Greencastle, Pennsylvania, said there’s nothing gender specific about scouting’s commitment to outdoor adventure, diversity and leadership.

“It builds their development, and the girls weren’t getting that,” Irwin said. “There’s Girl Scouts and Girl Scouts is great. There’s nothing wrong with Girl Scouts, it’s just different. And this, I like the way it’s run. When we look at females in general, we’re not always good at promoting ourselves and may have to promote ourselves in these rank advancement meetings. I’ve seen my daughter go from sort of sheepish and meek and I just yelled at her to go do sustainability because she’s nearly Eagle.”

Scout BSA Aaron Anderson, from Charleson, South Carolina, said her all-female troop 742 is in the process of adding on a brother troop. But she added that she wouldn’t trade her scouting experiences so far, for the world.

“We’ve been able to grow with all these girls and be able to do all these experiences in scouting,” Anderson said. “I know a lot of the girls in our troop, they’ve been in it with their brothers through Cub Scouts. And so once they were finally able to join, I know that a lot of them saw they could experience a lot of the fun things that you see all the other people doing, and they would like, you know, get rank and get patches and camp out with everyone.”

Girls in Boy Scouts has given some parents some pause due to a history of sexual abuse charges. In 2020, the Boy Scouts of America filed for a Chapter 11 financial restructuring to offer “equitable compensation” to survivors and their families. The BSA cited approximately 200 pending lawsuits in state and federal district courts across the United States and 1700 potential claimants in total.

Recognizing the increased risk of abuse in volunteer youth organizations, the BSA created a sex abuse education and prevention program called the Youth Protection program in 1988 to address the problem. Perez said 35 years later, scouting has been labeled as the gold standard of youth protection.

“It’s a valid concern for parents in any organization they’re involved with,” Perez said. “Answer one is get involved. But more importantly, we have the most stringent youth protection program in America. We have a buddy system, we have two on one adults to youth, we have mandatory reporting. We are the best place to put your child. Did we make some mistakes in the 60s in the 70s? We did admittedly. And we want to compensate everybody who we had a problem with. But we have learned many, many lessons and this is the safest place for your child. The only way to make it even safer is for that adult to be involved in that unit and come out and experience scouting with their children.”

Scoutmaster Irwin said those types of problems can happen anywhere. in schools, churches. She says if there’s bad in human nature, bad can get in.

“As someone who was a pediatric nurse prior to teaching, I saw the horrible things that happened to kids,” she said. “But I’m also seeing all of this and this is amazing. And I know there were a lot of naysayers with females entering BSA as well, like it’s gonna cause problems, boys and girls. My kids go to church camp, and it’s boys and girls together. They go to 4-H camp and it’s boys and girls together. So now our girls have a chance to be Eagle Scouts.”

14-year-old Ruth Olsen from Utah said she wants to try everything scouting has to offer so she can “learn stuff”.

“I think it’s good that girls have the same opportunities as boys because I think girls are a lot more capable than people think we are,” Olsen said.

The 2023 Scouting Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County runs through July 28.

How The Boy Scouts Are Evolving With The Inclusion Of Girls, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, as the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree continues this week in Fayette County, there are more females on site than ever before. Randy Yohe reports on the impact of girls furthering their scouting ambitions, with the boys learning a new thing or two as well.

On this West Virginia Morning, as the Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree continues this week in Fayette County, there are more females on site than ever before. Randy Yohe reports on the impact of girls furthering their scouting ambitions, with the boys learning a new thing or two as well.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and produced this episode.

Teresa Wills is our host.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Marching Bands, National Scout Jamboree And Our Song Of The Week, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, marching and concert bands from across the world are in Buckhannon this week for an international competition. Also, for the next 10 days, 15,000 scouts from around the country will camp out in Fayette County for the 2023 National Scouting Jamboree.

On this West Virginia Morning, marching and concert bands from across the world are in Buckhannon this week for an international competition. Chris Schulz has more.

Also, in this show, some West Virginia elected officials have not wanted to be so social on social media. Delaney Wells has more.

And, for the next 10 days, 15,000 scouts from around the country will camp out in Fayette County. As Randy Yohe shows us, the 2023 National Scouting Jamboree takes youth development and diversity to a whole new level.

Finally, this week’s rebroadcast of Mountain Stage features a breadth of musical styles, performed in front of a live audience. Our Song of the Week comes to us from Sophie B. Hawkins, known for her hit songs in the 1990s. We listen to her performance of “You Are My Balloon.”

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Our Appalachia Health News project is made possible with support from CAMC and Marshall Health.

West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schultz, Curtis Tate, Delaney Wells, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.

Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director and producer.

Teresa Wills is our host.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Boy Scouts Perform Service Projects In Return For Free Camping

Boy Scouts from the Buckskin Council in southern West Virginia will have the unique opportunity to camp for free in designated state parks in exchange for service projects.

Boy Scouts from the Buckskin Council in southern West Virginia will have the unique opportunity to camp for free in designated state parks. The council represents scouts in 40 counties across the south of West Virginia, as well as in neighboring states Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky.

In exchange, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Director Brett McMillion said scouts will complete service projects in the parks such as trail maintenance. He said scouts have already helped with the newest Almost Heaven swing at Pipestem Resort State Park.

“Some of the more popular projects will relate to trails, whether it be new trail construction, upgrades to existing or even basic maintenance on trails,” McMillion said. “There will likely be some facility upgrades or renovations, such as painting, and we won’t get into any full blown construction projects, but they’ll really be able to do a variety of items.”

McMillion said scouts can be a resource for smaller parks that may not have the bigger budgets. He said the DNR is already in contact with other scout councils from across West Virginia to expand the program.

“We’re early into this program, but I see a lot of potential growing, I think there’s some badge opportunities,” McMillion said. “The scouts will be able to work with our naturalist or nature programming. Our state park system have absolutely opened their arms to this project, and it’ll give the scouts opportunities to learn more about our West Virginia state parks.”

Jeffrey Purdy is the scout executive for the Buckskin Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He said the current agreement is for Pipestem and North Bend parks, but it could be expanded to other state parks.

“The idea is that scouts would go to the park for the weekend, perhaps spend the weekend camp out, they may do a service project for the park, which is a part of the scouting program, doing service for others,” Purdy said. “Then the parks can also provide some program opportunities.”

The Boy Scouts own many private camps across West Virginia, but Purdy said they are hard to maintain.

“At the same time, the state does an excellent job of maintaining their state parks,” he said. “Those are well-maintained outdoor facilities available for the public. They’re looking for people to work in the park system, and people with scouting backgrounds, young people would be good candidates because of their knowledge and experience in the outdoors.”

McMillion also expressed a desire to see scouts develop through the burgeoning program into the state’s future parks leadership.