Scouting is alive and well in Eatonton, with two dedicated Scout troops, plus a pair of Cub Scout packs to serve and benefit local youth.
Currently, all are getting ready for the every-other-year Golden Eagle Awards dinner to celebrate and recognize worthy individuals and/ or organizations that actively contribute to making a positive impact on lives within their community.
This year’s Golden Eagle honorees will be Mothers Against Crime and Putnam General Hospital, said Garrett Williams, Scout Executive and CEO of the Central Georgia Council Scouting America (CGCSA), based in Macon.
Within its 24-county territory, CGCSA services approximately 2,000 youth participants and adult volunteers administering nearly 70 different Scouting programs, Williams said.
“Mothers Against Crime does so much positive in the community every year, and Putnam General keeps the community healthy,” he added during a recent visit to Eatonton.
Williams said both organizations will be celebrated during the Golden Eagle Honoree Dinner & Fundraiser, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 28, at Barrel 118 in downtown Eatonton.
“Not only will we recognize the important contributions of Mothers Against Crime and Putnam General Hospital to making Eatonton and Putnam County a better place to live, but the resources that are generated from that event will help to support and grow the mission of Scouting across a 24-county service area in a variety of ways, operationally,” Williams explained.
“We don’t necessarily have an event in every county; however, because of the generosity of those who allow things to happen, everyone benefits,” he added. “So, the resources will come back. They benefit our packs, our troops, and hopefully our future Exploring Club goals.”
Scoutmaster Willie F. Thompkins has led Eatonton’s Scout Troop 132 since 1978, not long after returning from Vietnam as a Marine and later serving in the Army National Guard.
He took over the troop from its founder, 101-year-old George Jordon, providing a long, solid history of reliable Scouting leadership in Eatonton.
Thompkins’ troop meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Eatonton’s American Legion Hall (280 Martin Luther King Dr.), following the 5:30 p.m. meeting each time for Cub Scout Pack No. 583. He stressed that he appreciates the help and leadership that CGCSA provides from its Macon base.
Likewise, Cubmaster David Skinner of Cub Scout Pack No. 34 at Eatonton First Methodist Church (103 W. Magnolia St.), said he’s looking forward to the Golden Eagle Awards event, knowing it will benefit his pack in the long run, but also because it provides a showcase for his boys to demonstrate and show off some of the benefits of being involved in Scouting.
“If you ask the average person on the street what kind of person they are, I think most of them will say something like, ‘Well, I think I’m a good person,’ that kind of stuff,” Skinner explained. “But I tell my Scouts that there are 12 words, the Scout Law, that you can use in a second to define your character: ‘I'm trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.’ I just think that's powerful stuff.”
Tickets to the Golden Eagle Awards are $100 each, with all proceeds benefiting CGCSA Scouts across its 24-county reach. Additionally, opportunities exist for those who want to step up even further to support Scouting initiatives.
“We have sponsorship opportunities at various levels where you get to put your business or name in the program book, as well as other options,” he said, repeating that all Scouts in the region, including those in Eatonton, will ultimately benefit. “The last time we did this here, it was at Barrel 118, too, and we had over a hundred people show up. So, it was a very successful event, which I believe this will be, too.”