By Taylor Frymier
(Marion) Chronicle-Tribune
The National Boy Scouts of America Foundation has received a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help strengthen Scouting programs across Indiana.
This funding will be directed at six local council-affiliates in Indiana to expand the depth and breadth of Scouting programs by reaching more youth from diverse backgrounds, including youth from communities of color, expanding and enhance in-school Scouting programs and attracting youth through workforce development programs.
The restricted gift is earmarked specifically for use on the initiatives in the state of Indiana.
“This generous grant from Lilly Endowment will enable volunteers and staff to bring the time-tested programs of Scouting to underserved communities, to better partner with schools and prepare the next generation of leaders,” Alan Parks, Scout Executive and CEO, said in a news release provided to the Chronicle-Tribune.
“The seeds of character and leadership that will be planted because of this grant will impact generations of youth and families in Indiana now and for years to come,” he added.
Parks shared their plans for distributing the funds to scouting troops in need throughout the state with the Chronicle-Tribune directly via email. “We plan to do this by hiring staff that will specifically focus on implementing and sustaining these efforts as well as helping families who can’t afford the basic programmatic elements and resources needed for these families to have a quality Scouting experience,” he said.
He went on to say that there will not be a direct distribution of funds to their programs, but they will continue to have assistance available for their current programs as needed.
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) serves more than 42,000 youth in Scouting programs throughout Indiana and offers camps and conference facilities to school and community groups through six council affiliates: Crossroads of America Council in Indianapolis, Hoosier Trails Council in Bloomington, Buffalo Trace Council in Evansville, Anthony Wayne Council in Fort Wayne, Sagamore Council in Kokomo and LaSalle Council in South Bend.
“The BSA has been successful for more than a century because world-class organizations like the Lilly Endowment have recognized the tremendous impact of Scouting programs on youth and families and have invested in that work,” Chasity McReynolds, BSA Assistant Chief Scout Executive, said in the release.
“The grassroots impact of this investment will be invaluable for the state,” she added.
The National Boy Scouts of America Foundation’s grant proposal was supported by youth-serving organizations throughout Indiana, including the Center for Family, School and Community Partnerships, Indiana Department of Education, Indiana Youth Institute, South Bend Community School Corporation, 2 Madison STEAM Academy, Easter Seals Crossroads, Mental Health America- Wabash Valley Region and the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana.
The grant is one of nine grants totaling $91.5 million that Lilly Endowment has made to national youth-serving organizations to help them enhance and expand the impact of their Indiana affiliates and chapters.
According to the release, the grants reflect the Endowment’s longstanding commitment to the healthy development of youth in Indiana and to the youth workers and organizations that serve them.
“At Lilly Endowment we believe that this support will help the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation support councils across Indiana, and the other funded national organizations as they work to serve more effectively and reach even more youth,” Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education, said in the release. “We also are pleased by the interest many of these organizations have in replicating strategies that succeed in Indiana with their affiliates and chapters around the country.”
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This story was provided to the News-Banner by the Hoosier State Press Association’s Information Network.