A Thanksgiving message to all alumni from Andrew Miller, BSA Alumni Association Chair.
I hope you and your loved ones are well and looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Thanksgiving often prompts reflections on what we are each grateful for, and this year is no different.
Take people, for instance. I’m thankful for Scouts and their parents; for volunteers and staff who invest their time and resources in their community’s young people; for all those who make Pinewood Derby and summer camp memories; and for our alumni, who keep the spirit of Scouting alive in their hearts.
I’m thankful for our recent National Scout Jamboree, an inspiring event that transformed lives. In fact, after spending a few days at the National Scout Jamboree, a reporter from the fourth-largest daily newspaper in the United States has come to the same conclusion.
Anne Branigin’s recently published story for The Washington Post, with outstanding photographs by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Michael S. Williamson, is a must-read. To refill your gratitude-for-Scouting tank, check out this Aaron on Scouting article.
Additionally, I am grateful for the Alumni Gathering at this year’s National Annual Meeting in Atlanta, and I hope you’ll consider joining us next year for alumni events planned in Orlando and Boulder, CO (if you’d like to receive information about these events, and other alumni-related communications, please sign up here).
I’m thankful for the successful emergence from our financial restructuring, with a new CEO, a new board of directors, and a new sense of momentum.
I am grateful for the foundational principles that guide us — from our nation’s Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights to timeless values like the Golden Rule, and, of course, the enduring Scout Oath and Law.
I am grateful that our country has Scouting. And I am grateful that Scouting was part of my formative years, providing life skills and a moral compass.
Thank you for being part of our alumni community. As you reflect on life’s many blessings during this holiday season, I hope that Scouting holds a special place among the things you are thankful for.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Andrew Miller
Chair, BSA Alumni Association