Boy Scouts mark 100th anniversary

Ryan Densley is just a freshman at Douglas Freeman High School, but he's equipped with a skill set that many twice his age may not have.

He knows first aid and can identify a myriad of plants; he can build a fire and tie a variety of knots.

Recently, for a service project, he created an activities cart to ease the boredom for patients and the patients children undergoing treatment at the VCU Massey Cancer Center's bone marrow transplant clinic.

All of this happened by the time he was 15, and it happened because of his decision to become a Boy Scout.

"It's a great experience. It teaches you how to live an everyday life serving others," said Ryan, who earned the rank of Eagle Scout because of the service project. "Do a good turn daily."

Ryan, a member of Troop 799 in Henrico County, is one of nearly 14,500 kids in central Virginia involved with the Heart of Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Involvement reached its peak in the Richmond region in 2002 with about 16,200 kids.

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Boy Scouts in full uniform will show up at churches throughout the Richmond region, and across the country, today for the annual Scout Sunday.

Some troops, like Troop 498 at St. Benedict Church in Richmond and Troop 180 at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Petersburg, are conducting the church services today. Other churches are recognizing Scouts during their services.

Among the 12 points of Scout Law is being reverent. Todd Martin, director of field services for the Heart of Virginia Council, said it means showing reverence toward a supreme being "that we don't define."

"What it teaches the boys is a respect for other people's religious values and a respect toward God or a supreme being, and they are doing it with their peer group," Martin said.

Scout Sunday falls near the anniversary of the Boy Scouts' incorporation -- 100 years ago tomorrow.

Since then, the core values of Boy Scouts have changed little as generations of boys have been molded during their teen years. They enter Boy Scouts as adolescents, and those who stick with it leave as young adults when they age out at 18.

Bennie Good, an Eagle Scout and retired Scoutmaster of Troop 876 in Midlothian, said the boys' growth and maturity over that time is phenomenal to see.

"How they come in as little rug rats bouncing off the wall to being able to stand up in front of a troop and command and get the other boys to listen to them and follow directions," Good said.

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Scouting troops meet weekly and typically have one outdoor weekend adventure a month. Outings can range from camping at Camp T. Brady Saunders in Goochland County or hiking the Appalachian Trail.

"The more primitive the better," said H.C. Davis, Scoutmaster of Troop 876. Davis' two sons are both Scouts in his troop.

Those outings help build camaraderie among the Scouts, said 17-year-old Eagle Scout Robbie Newsome.

"You have to work together as a team to get anything done," said Newsome, a Scout in Troop 876. "Our outings are spectacular. The camaraderie and the friendships that grow, learning to interact with others."

While Scouts learn skills such as tying knots and carving, they also gain knowledge in managing time and money, as well as in community, national and world political events, as they become well-rounded teenagers, Newsome said.

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Scouting presents an opportunity to enhance the relationships between fathers and their sons -- whether it's working together to build a pinewood derby car or camping together in the woods.

Martin, Davis and Jerome Golfman are actively involved in their sons' Scouting experiences.

Golfman has two sons participate with Troop 715 in Henrico. He's a parent volunteer with the troop and sees firsthand the benefits of Scouting.

"It's definitely broadened their sense of community; that's been reflected in their activities, doing volunteer work in the community," Golfman said. "A lot of that has been brought out through the Scouting movement."

Martin said it's like reliving his own experiences as a Scout.

"I can't even separate my Scouting experience from growing up," he said. "It was just a part of me. It helped shape who I am."

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or jslayton@timesdispatch.com.