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Scouts receive gift of $750,000 |
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Wednesday, 09 January 2008 |
The Montana Council, Boy Scouts of America, reported that they have received a gift of cash and securities valued at $750,000.
The anonymous donation will create an additional staff position, provide technology improvements, dedicate funds to the Montana Boy Scout Endowment, and retire debt.
“This is an important gift that was made with much thought,” said Gordon Rubard, Montana Council Scout Executive.
He went on to add, “The donor and his family believe strongly in the value of the Scouting program and want to see more young people involved throughout the state.”
Community service and daily good deeds remain a priority for more than 12,000 Scouts and Scout leaders.
Boy Scout volunteers and staff identified past challenges and set out to improve for the future. These efforts were met with favor from the donor, who’d been observing the Council for the past several years.
The donor said that the Council’s progress, responsibility, and commitment to a solid future for the program were factors in the decision to donate.
Boy Scouts continue providing quality Scout programs and camps, including operations at Melita Island on Flathead Lake. Melita’s purchase was funded through the generosity of hundreds of Boy Scout supporters.
Council President Ralph Shirts announced the gift at the most recent board meeting, emphasizing the obligation inherent when accepting such a generous donation.
“I am sure the donor expects that we’ll continue to work hard and build a stronger council today and in the future,” Shirts said.
While a Scout’s family pays less than $15 per year for national registration, the Montana Council spends nearly $200 annually per Scout to provide programs and summer camps. Funding is made possible, in part, through thousands of generous donors.
Other significant 2007 donations to Montana Boy Scouts were from the Robert L. Johnson family of Lewistown, who donated money to build an amphitheater on Melita Island, and ExxonMobil’s donation of a Nature Center building at K-M Scout Ranch.
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