Past President Terri Phipps Copeland, our club's program leader for August, introduced Club Members to another of her most excellent friends: Ms. Deitra Crawley, a member of the board of the Atlanta Area Scout Council, an organization she loves and gives herself to because she so believes in its purpose and work. She described her devotion to the morals and values put forth by the Scouts. Then she briefly shared a personal story. Her son Zack Crawley, on a Scout river rafting adventure, saw a boy who had fallen out of another raft. By reaching into the sometimes dangerous Nantahala River with his left arm, Zack grabbed the young boy who was going under the water, pulling him to safety. Because of his Scout training Zach saved a life. The Atlanta Area Scout Council runs through the dedication of some 8,500 volunteer leaders. Scouts in Atlanta began in 1951. One early troop was started by Martin Luther King, Sr. whose son, MLK, Jr., was a member. Deitra spoke of building leaders, placing family first, strengthening character, and emphasizing ‘life is bigger than you.’In the ten county metro Atlanta area, the 32,000 Scouts have troops in more than 20 churches, within Families First, The City of Refuge and several schools, plus many other places. Deitra was joined in her presentation by AWER Member Faye Hammonds, who noted that in 2018 the Scouts officially invited girls to participate, which she says eases some of the work of parents when siblings can now participate. The Atlanta Area Scout Council maintains a non-competitive relationship with Girl Scouts. Scouting has had more than 110 million members since it was created in the US in 1910. Faye and Deitra explained that Scout leadership has had to adapt - but this ability to change has enabled it to remain relevant and strong despite distracting and disunifying societal forces. Faye said, “We are growing!”Deitra urged our entire Club to join her on December 13th at the Golden Eagle Luncheon where Ed Bastian, Delta president, will be the speaker.