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2/8/2007
United Way, say hello to the Boy Scouts
Kids being kids. Especially “at-risk” boys being special, active, precious, confident boys. The Green Bay Press Gazette last week featured an article about a new Boy Scout outreach program in the Green Bay schools. Check out the article – just looking at these kids gives you goosebumps of hope.
As many as 450 boys were recruited from Hmong, Hispanic and at-risk, underserved groups; they've met once a week since November to enjoy all things scouting, including those classic Pinewood Derby race cars.
What caught my eye was the $25,000 grant provided the Bay-Lakes Council by the Brown County United Way. You may remember (I surely do) the uproar in 2001 that caused many United Ways throughout the country to pull huge dollars from Boy Scout programming. The Boy Scouts of America (and indeed, the Bay-Lakes Council) refused to agree to disavow the policy that would not allow an acknowledged homosexual to lead a group of boys. And some United Way Boards of Directors couldn’t quite mesh that with their diversity mission and policies.
Well, the Brown County United Way (along with sister organizations in the Fox Cities, Fond du Lac and Oshkosh) was one of those agencies that pulled their funding – a total of about $400,000 lost by Bay-Lakes. Just like that.
Thank you Mike Surbaugh, Bay-Lakes Scout Executive and Long Vue, Green Bay district executive and outreach director, for working so closely with the Brown County United Way. Thank you for offering your programs to our kids!
And thank you Steve Van Vuren, board chair of the Brown County United Way, and your entire Board of Directors, for recognizing the value of Boy Scouting to boys. Thank you for collaborating on a critical project of mutual interest to both you and the Scouts. Thank you for reconsidering, for reversing your position of five years ago.
Fox Cities, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh United Ways – is there a way you too can slowly nudge a bit closer to our friends, the Boy Scouts?
COMMENTS
Jo, do you think our Fox Cities Chapter will come around now? I enjoy Fox Politics!
Gerry, I'm surely hoping they will begin talking about it... JE
Gerry Romenesko (Thu Feb 08 08:58:10 2007)
I remember the uproar very well. I stopped giving to the UW and now donate directly to the Boy Scouts, Salvation Army, Special Olympics and a few others that are dear to my heart.
I thought withdrawing their money was a scummy thing to do and still think so.
I doubt I'd ever donate to UW again because I don't trust them anymore to do the commonsense thing instead of jumping on the next politically correct bus that comes by.
C.R. Stevenson (Thu Feb 08 11:01:59 2007)
If the Boy Scouts want to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, that ought to be their right. Freedom of association and all that. But let's be realistic. Most of the people who contribute to the United Way have moved waaay beyond the reflexive homophobia of the BSA. This is something a good many United Way agencies understand; they know that if they cater to the BSA's anti-gay bias, they'll lose contributors. And they'd deserve to, too. It's the BSA that needs to adapt; not the United Way agencies. Jim Meyer, an avowed heterosexual and former Cub Scout from Neenah, Wisconsin
Jim Meyer (Fri Feb 09 08:37:02 2007)
I was happy to see the directors of the Brown County United Way recognize the terrible error made several years ago when the organization turned its back on the scouting program. They acted by reversing the policy and replacing the United Way "CEO" who presided over it's creation. Bravo! I have started again contributing to the United Way.
The United Way's roots were in the "Community Chest" concept -- where the raising and distibution of charitable funds could be done most effectively with a single fundraising effort directed by local volunteers. Businesses appreciated the "one fund raising drive" focus and the ability for local employees and citizens to direct fund distribution based upon needs assessment. When the United Way starts to stray from that focus and tries to carry some "agenda" or become a social agency in and of itself, people desert it -- for good reason.
Tom Sladek (Sat Feb 10 15:22:51 2007)
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