DON SACHS - BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA - OCT 6, 2016
Don Sachs from the Minsi Trails Council of Boy Scouts of America was the speaker at the October 6 meeting of Emmaus Rotary Club. Don retired from HSBC Bank in 2007 where he directed marketing and corporate communications for a U.S. based subsidiary. Don serves as Director of Development for the Council which serves the Lehigh Valley, Anthracite and Pocono Mountain regions, along with Warren County, New Jersey. In this role, Don is responsible for planned giving programs, growing the endowment trust fund and marketing Scouting throughout the six-county area served by the Council.
Don shared a wealth of information about all of the Scouting programs offered by the Council – from Cub Scouts (ages 6-10) to Boy Scouts (ages 11-17) and Venturing & Exploring (ages 14-20). The Council also offers ScoutReach, an after-school Scouting outreach effort serving disadvantaged and at-risk youth in an after-school setting. The Council serves approximately 10,000 youth with more than 5,000 volunteer adult leaders.
Don shared the results of a study conducted by Tufts University which measured six key areas in more than 2,000 Scouts and non-Scouts aged 6 to 12 in the Philadelphia region. The study found that boys in Scouting reported significant increases in character attributes like cheerfulness, helpfulness, kindness, obedience, trustworthiness and hopeful future expectations. When asked what was most important to them, Scouts were much more likely than non-Scouts to choose helping others and doing the right thing. The study also showed that the longer and more involved youth were in Scouting, the greater the positive effect on character development, including goal-setting, better grades and a greater connection to nature.
Don shared stories of local Scouts demonstrating exemplary behavior and life-savings skills, as well as comments from parents about the positive impact of Scouting on their children. He summarized his comments by saying Scouting builds character, teaches responsibility, develops leadership skills and encourages engaged citizenship while having fun in a great outdoor experience.