Senoia Mayor William “Dub” Pearman III says his experience with Scouts BSA, formerly Boys Scouts of America, has been a positive influence throughout his life by ingraining in him early the foundational principles of Scouting.

“It emphasized the core values of helping others, the importance of duty, the honor of integrity and the significance of loyalty,” Pearman says. “Scouting also taught me many practical skills that I still use daily.”

When Pearman received the rank of Eagle Scout, BSA was for young men under the age of 18.

“Even then, there were Explorer troops for older co-ed teens, so I was not surprised when the Boy Scouts expanded to Scouts BSA and included young women,” he says. “Those skills and values are not exclusively beneficial to only half of our youth. I started the Scouting program over 46 years ago, and I’m pleased to see its positive influences are benefitting a more diverse group of our country’s youth.”

Scouts BSA recently celebrated its 111th anniversary, at the same time welcoming their first female African American Eagle Scout, Kendall Jackson, of Indiana. Scouts BSA offers programs for boys and girls in every age level, including Cub Scouts for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, Boy Scouts for ages 11-17, and Venturing and Sea Scouts for ages 14-21. Eagle Scout is the highest rank achievable in the Scouts BSA program.

Flint River Council Advancement Chair and Eagle Scout Jim McCarthy is the charter representative for Scouting at Cokes Chapel United Methodist Church and father of two sons who are also Eagle Scouts. The elder McCarthy says that while working through the Scouting BSA advancement program to earn eight ranks and more than 135 merit badges, Scouts learn life skills they can take into the world to help them become successful. Many activities denoted by merit badges provide Scouts with lifelong hobbies, trades and careers, he adds. 

“We have a merit badge for you,” says McCarthy, “whether you want to do camping, hiking, swimming, backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, climbing or ziplining, or if you’re into robotics, photography, game design, theatre, animation, crime prevention, fire safety, medicine, music or nuclear science.”  

Scouting can be a familial affair, evidenced by the family of Allen and Michelle Goembel whose four sons are all in Scouting. Their second-oldest, Cole, is a 15-year-old Life Scout in Troop 897 and also a member of Venture Crew 120 and the Order of the Arrow. He’s currently working on his Eagle project plans and credits Scouts with helping him learn valuable skills like leadership, time management, survival skills and cooking. 

Third child Ryan is a 12-year-old Tenderfoot Scout in Troop 897 who strives to follow in his older brothers’ footsteps. Ryan says that he enjoys going on camping trips with the troop and looks forward to experiencing adventure.

The youngest, Luke, 9, is a Bear Scout in Cub Scout Pack 897 and has been involved in Scouts since birth. “He’s almost like a mascot for the pack,” says his mom.

Michelle and Allen have been active in Scouting since their oldest son Evan was in second grade. Allen has helped with Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts and currently is assistant scoutmaster for Troop 897. Michelle has volunteered in a variety of capacities as well, including serving as Cub Scout Day Camp director.

“Scouting teaches survival skills that everyone should know,” says Michelle. “When we had that big winter storm several years ago and the power was out. I wasn’t worried. The boys knew how to cook outside, start a fire, and all the other things to keep them safe.”

She praises the adult leaders who pour their heart and soul into helping the Scouts, guiding them, providing opportunities, teaching them, and helping them grow to become leaders.

Girls in Boy Scouts of America

Nina Blackwelder is committee chairman for BSA Troop 219, Coweta County's first all-female Scouts BSA troop, which was chartered in February 2019. Tricia Bethel-Sookhoo is the troop’s scoutmaster, and her daughter, Mackenzie Sookhoo, is senior patrol leader. The girls in Troop 219 range in age from 12 to 17.

Blackwelder says her son was in traditional Boy Scouts and she used to bring her daughter to his Cub Scout events. Her daughter enjoyed the activities, so eventually, Blackwelder and Bethel-Sookhoo decided to lead an all-girls program. They have grown from a small group of fewer than 10 girls to 25.

“What I enjoy most about the Scouts BSA program is mentoring young adults to become leaders in their community and witnessing their growth,” says Bethel-Sookhoo. “It is one of the few programs where young adults get the opportunity to learn life and survival skills from their peers. I come from a long line of Scouts, so having the legacy be passed on to my son and now my daughter makes me very proud. It’s fun to observe what they’ve learned and see them teach their skills to others.” 

Blackwelder says their group has gained a lot of positive support from the community, which has helped fund their troop’s activities and provided a much-needed trailer for excursions and camping trips.

Regrettably, when the program first started, the ladies received some angry emails about the girls being in the Boy Scout program. But what some don’t understand, says Blackwelder, is that Scouts BSA does not have a co-ed component – and there are no intentions to make BSA a co-ed program. 

The girls BSA troop is not competing with Girl Scouts, nor are they attempting to change the traditional Boy Scouts program, according to its leaders, who say that BSA has simply made their program more accessible to more kids  – boys and girls.

“We want a program that’s a quality program for kids in our community,” says Blackwelder. “I just love that when you get all the kids together, there are kids from different walks of life, different schools, different family compositions, and they’re all enjoying each other, and I think that’s so important. All the things that we think of as traditionally boy stuff, our girls are out there doing it and they’re having a great time.” 

Blackwelder’s all-girls, youth-led BSA troop is heavily involved in camping and outdoor programs. The girls throw hatchets, sharpen axes, build fires and debris shelters, and learn about wilderness first aid. The campouts and day activities allow the kids exposure to try something different and new. Being an adult leader attending these events, she enjoys that the parents benefit from the program as much as the youth.

When COVID-19 hit, Scout meetings became virtual, but as soon as they could bring everyone together, the troop reinstated in-person meetings. It was the only time that some of the kids were leaving the house, but they wore masks, were socially distanced, and held meetings outside to stay safe. They held a summer camp, and because they are an outdoor program, they could navigate the challenges of COVID-19 and still let the girls have fun, socialize and participate in activities.

Girl Scouts

The Girl Scouts program seeks to build character, confidence and courage in girls from a young age. It encompasses Daisies for kindergarten through first grade, Brownies for grades 2-3, Juniors for grades 4-5, Cadette for grades 6-8, Seniors for grades 9-10, and Ambassadors for grades 11-12.

A troop leader for six years, Jovanca Blackburn leads fifth grade Junior Girl Scouts in Newnan. Her troop enjoys outdoor activities and helping the community, and they participate in everything from art lessons to outdoor life skills. It is girl-led, so whatever the girls want to learn is what they do.

Girl Scouts have a bronze, silver and gold award, with the gold award being equivalent to the Eagle Scout award in Boy Scouts. There are multiple types of badges and patches to be earned from completing a wide variety of tasks and projects, ranging from arts and crafts, mechanics, coding, outdoor survival skills, philanthropy and disaster preparedness. One project they completed this spring was tilling and seeding a wildflower garden at a LINC trailhead in the Summerlin subdivision.

Blackburn’s Junior troop is part of a larger troop within the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta that includes Daisies, Brownies and Girl Scouts. During the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, each age group decided how they wanted to meet. Some groups met virtually and other girls worked independently to earn badges and patches. Some of the projects completed during the pandemic were a coat drive for Bridging The Gap, writing cards for nursing home residents and active military, tie-dyeing face masks and making bamboo fishing poles. While they mostly sold Girl Scout cookies online this year, some troops also sold in person or with cookie booths, with girls choosing how they wanted to handle sales. Some scouts are using money they raised from cookie sales to go horseback riding. They’ll also donate a percentage of earnings to organizations close to their hearts, like the Humane Society or Adopt-A-Horse.

“The biggest misconception is that people think Girl Scouts just sell cookies, but they can do anything,” says Blackburn. “They can do outdoor camping in tents and they can do archery and fishing and all of the same things offered in Boy Scouts. Each troop decides what they want to do based on what they’d like to achieve.”

Julie Keller has more than 20 years of experience as a girl scout adult volunteer and currently serves as co-leader of Girl Scout Troop #16372 with 15 scouts in grades 5-7. Leading the troops through the pandemic was challenging, according to Keller.

“As a troop co-leader, I found numerous Facebook groups where Girl Scout leaders from across the United States shared ideas and events, resources that were not available pre-COVID,” says Keller, noting that to overcome COVID-19 restrictions, her troops focused on outdoor activities and visited local destinations. “The one thing that has impressed me about Girl Scouts is how adaptable they are to change and how they sincerely try to mold the program to meet where the girls are.” 

Area Executive for the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Jaclyn Robinson comes from a family of Girl Scouts. Her own mother was her troop leader and now her daughter Kaitlyn is in Girl Scouts where she’s gaining confidence while pushing out of her comfort zone, like when she recently performed a skit in front of others at a Girl Scout event.

“Girl Scouts give the girls that safe space to try new things where they know their sisters are there, they are supported, and that it’s okay,” says Robinson. “It’s okay to try.” 

Girl Scouts teaches girls to be leaders and that there’s no limit to what they can learn and how much they can succeed.

That sounds a lot like all youth Scouting programs.

Outstanding Scouts in Coweta

They say, “Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout.”

Notable Cowetans who attained the Eagle Scout rank include Senoia Mayor Dub Pearman, Newnan Mayor Pro-Tem George Alexander, and Coweta Cattlemen’s Association President and BSA Flint River Council Commissioner Robert Allen.

These Eagle Scouts help set the bar for the current generation of Scouts, and Coweta County resident Evan Goembel is following in their successful footsteps.

Goembel is a 17-year-old Eagle Scout in Troop 897, sponsored by Cornerstone United Methodist Church, in Newnan. He is president of Venture Crew 120, a co-ed part of BSA for kids aged 14-21, and a member of the Order of the Arrow, Scouting’s national honor society. Last fall, he reached the Order’s highest level, Vigil.

A student at East Coweta High School, Goembel attends classes at Central Educational Center while managing dual enrollment at West Georgia Technical College. He works at Yokogawa as part of the Georgia Consortium of Advanced Technical Training (GA CATT), a German-style apprenticeship program. In 2020, the Newnan Chapter of the VFW recognized Goembel as Scout of the Year.

“Scouting is important to me because it allows me to learn things and become exposed to new opportunities,” he says. “Scouting will help me get a job and into schools because Eagle is recognized across the United States. I enjoy participating in Scouts because it is fun and adventurous. I’m doing things that other kids my age don’t get to do. For instance, I got to go to Ely, Minnesota, two years ago and got to camp in the snow, go dog sledding, make something like an igloo, make a snow kitchen, and so much more. Most of the people I know aren’t doing things like that.”

Scout leaders have been known to remind their charges that working toward the coveted Eagle Scout rank is not their destination, but a journey.

Goembel’s journey is one to keep an eye on.

NCM