Mom credits Scouts with helping boys succeed

As a single mother raising two boys, Lona Everett of Kalispell wanted her sons to have positive male role models, expand their opportunities and develop outdoor skills.

Their dad lived far away and wasn't a day-to-day presence in their lives. She found the help she needed in the Boy Scouts, and the impact on the boys' lives has been ongoing and profound.

"Boy Scouting has been a part of their lives ever since they were little," said Everett, the principal of Olney-Bissell School. "It expanded them far beyond what I could afford to give them."

Boy Scouts is one of 26 member agencies and services that benefit from United Way funds.

United Way is entering the final week of its annual fundraising drive seeking to raise $1 million.

As of Friday, the United Way had raised $484,897 or a little more than 48 percent of the goal.

The theme of this year's campaign is "Give. Advocate. Volunteer. Live United."

Last year, United Way member agencies helped nearly 57,000 people in need. Ninety-nine percent of all money raised stays in local communities to help local citizens.

Both of Everett's boys started in Cub Scouts and continued throughout their grade school and high school years, both earning the rank of Eagle Scout.

"They are so proud of being Eagle Scouts," Everett said. "That means so much to them."

They learned poise, confidence and leadership skills, as well as practical skills required for merit badges, as they progressed through the ranks of scouting.

"In Scouts, they were leaders," she said. Their mother credits scouting with giving them skills for success.

Chad, 20, is in his third year at the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo., and wants to be a jet pilot. His mother believes that his achievements in scouting were an important factor in his congressional appointment to the academy.

James, 19, is a freshman at Western Illinois University, majoring in law enforcement and judicial administration. Within two weeks of arriving at school, she said, he was elected president of his 10-story dorm.

She's confident that the positive influences of scouting will help them succeed in life.

"They had goals and dreams from the time they were little boys, and that's what they're going for," she said. "They're both driven individuals."

She's also proud that both her boys are interested in public service. Chad was chosen as the United Way's Teen Volunteer of the Year in 2006 for his outstanding community service.

"Scouting was important to them," she said. "It was one of their big focuses."

During their Eagle Scout honor ceremony last summer, James stood up and spoke confidently without notes to about 90 people gathered in their back yard. She marveled at his confidence, poise and presence, and gave much of the credit to what he learned in scouting.

"I was just so proud of him," she said. "It was really pretty cool."

The United Way's fund-raising campaign continues through Dec. 31.

Donors may choose how to donate, including cash, payroll deductions, charging to a credit card, direct billing or through automatic bank transfers.

Donors also may designate which member agencies or non-affiliated partner agencies or the Montana Shares Federation they want to receive their gifts.

For more information on the United Way campaign, call 752-7266.