April 26, 1999
By MaryAnn Gardner
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The Doors We Open And Close - AIS Report
3
"The doors we open and close
each day decide the lives we live." -Flora Whittemore
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Ms. Whittemore could have been talking about Scout Leaders. Our lives are surely
affected when we open the door to our home and let Cub Scouts enter for their Den Meeting,
open the school cafeteria door to prepare for a Pack meeting, the church basement door to
bring in the new Troop equipment, the Corporate conference room door to admit the young
men and women the company sponsors in its Scouting partnership. It may be a tent flap at
Summer Camp, the dining hall door, or the outdoors of the Council Fire Ring - but we as
Leaders are changed by the experience just as surely as it affects the youth who are
within our charge.
At sometime, on one of those "difficult" days in Scouting, most of us
volunteers have asked, " Why did I ever open that door? " Thankfully, such days
seldom occur. More often, we say "I'm glad I stepped through!"
Come on in and learn what other Scouters have told us.
To Give Something Back - AIS Report 3
Please note: The participant's name or initials (if
available) are found at the end of the quote and are followed by the number of years in an
adult Scouting role. Eagle Scouts are also identified.
The AIS Survey allows us to explore reasons for our initial
involvement in Scouting's adult leadership.
We asked "Why did/do you do it?" You told us! While each of us has our own
personal, unique reason for opening the door of Scouting, most of your answers seem to
fall into one of two common categories - your children and your childhood experience. In
How/Why We Get Involved - AIS Report 2 we heard from survey participants whose reason
for signing up was "Because of My Child."
In our third AIS report, Scouters share their desire to give back to the community the
gifts they received in their youth. Open the doors below to join us as NetCompass Scouters
share a common wish To Give Something Back.
 
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