MASON CITY, IA - An organization aimed at developing the character and morals of youth is celebrating a milestone. The Boy Scouts of America is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, and the organization is adapting to changing times.
"My boys both started as Tiger Cubs, and went all the way through and I was a den mother and my husband was involved as an assistant scout master with the troop," said Carol Meyer.
Meyer's family has been involved in scouting for years.
"We had so many wonderful family experiences which is what I hope people understand that this is such a great family program," said Meyer.
And with the organization celebrating 100 years, they're looking to update some programs to reach out to more families
"As times change scouting has to change with it we have to keep the boy's interested in the program and so we've got to match the things that are going on in society today," said Mark Curran, district executive.
Curran says mixing original programs with new ones is a way to help scouting stay up to date.
"We’ve always done the traditional map and compass work and we still teach our scouts how to do that because if your GPS runs out of battery it's really useless," said Curran.
There's even a video game award scouts can earn.
"Learning about what the systems cost, how to set them up, how to have friendly competition with a video game system so that's just one of the tings we try to bring into our modern scouting program," said Curran.
But with all these new modern programs, scouts still hold true to their original goals of building morals and character.
"Those are still as valuable as they were when scouting originated and we think that is the core of our program and I can't imagine a parent who doesn't want some kind of character education program for their child," said Curran.
The Boy Scouts Winnebago Council, which serves north Iowa, is currently holding their annual membership drive and hosting local recruitment nights. Families interested in joining the program should look for information at local schools.
For more information you can visit the Boy Scouts of America website.
