Thursday, February 23, 2017
First Annual Boy Scout Day on the Hill
I sponsored this first annual Boy Scout Day on the Hill along with Senate President Stan Rosenberg as a way to highlight the service and action that Scouts have engaged in in the previous year. I was very pleased to welcome to the State House today members of all eight councils of Boy Scouts from across the state.
We began in the Senate Chamber where scouts led us in the Pledge of Allegiance before they recited the Scout Oath and Law. From their annual report we learned that last year, Massachusetts Boy Scout troops gave 150,000 hours of community service. And the statewide one-day service project "Scouting for Food" resulted in the donation of more than 200,000 pounds of food.
After our session we moved to the Grand Staircase and were welcomed by Governor Charlie Baker. He shared some sage advice about respect and fair treatment for all with the scouts, "I would urge you all to model that behavior, not just as scouts, but as leaders in your community and as you grow up and become leaders in other organizations because the lessons you learn, the skills you develop, those will be there to help make you part of your generation's success story if you choose to understand them and take advantage of them and incorporate them into the way you live your life."
I am so proud of the accomplishments that these Troops have made. At its best, scouting can have a profound and life-long impact for those who wear the uniform. In 351 cities and towns, in every corner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, whether it be a large city or a tiny hamlet, scouting is committed to the proposition, that we will have a spirit of being ready, willing and able to support each other.
