SOUTH BRUNSWICK — On Feb. 8, 100 years ago, an American man caught in an English fog was directed to his destination by a young boy who refused to accept a tip. The boy declared there was no need for payment in return for a good deed.
His guide, the American businessman William D. Boyce learned later that day, was a Boy Scout. Boyce contacted Britain’s Lord Baden-Powell, founder and organizer of the scouting movement, and the seeds for Boy Scouts of America (BSA) were sown.
That was on Feb. 8, 1910. Now, 100 years later, local Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in South Brunswick will celebrate 10 decades of helping others.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” said event chair Wendy Weiss.
On a national level BSA has grown to become one of the nation’s premier youthdevelopment organizations and has seen more than 100 million participants. BSA is built upon a foundation of creating future leaders through educational activities and lifelong values, all while having a little fun, according to the BSA website.
“Within the span of just 100 years the name ‘Boy Scouts’ has become a paradigm for a good turn and the ideal of community service,” said Joyce Kilmer District Executive Julio Leiva. “We’re working hard to make sure the youth of tomorrow are prepared for what awaits them.”
A candlelight ceremony for all Scouts and alumni will commence at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 in a warehouse at 265 Ridge Road in Dayton. The hour-and-a-half event will combine the Boy Scout districts of Joyce Kilmer, Semeos and Raritan Bay.
Accompanying the ceremony will be a Baden-Powell look-alike contest. There also will be light dinner items available for purchase with all proceeds going toward the Joyce Kilmer District.
All scouting activities will commemorate the founding of the organization. There will be projectors depicting the BSA history, timeline and future events, including the Boy Scout Jamboree, which will take place in Virginia this summer. Scouts can bring one item each for a time capsule and each unit can create a display that depicts its scouting history.
There will also be a letter-writing station that will give Scouts the ability to reach out to men and women serving overseas, as well as a wall depicting the service certificates of Scouts and units that submitted 100 hours of community service from September to February.
For additional information, visit www.joycekilmerdistrict.org and click on the 100 Anniversary Celebration link under events.
For more information on how to join scouting, visit www.beascout.org.