Almost every day someone in the community will ask me how are things going in Scouting. Are young people still joining? Are adults still willing to volunteer to be leaders? Do parents want their sons to become Scouts? Does Scouting offer programs that attract and excite young people in this age of X-Boxes and video games ad infinitum? Well, it's great to be able to answer all of these questions in the affirmative.

In the Fall of 2006, it was great to see about 100 new boys joined Cub Scouting in our local council. This past fall more than 200 new boys joined Cub Scouting in our council. In fact at the end of 2007, the Cayuga County Council Boy Scouts of America was ranked sixth out of 71 councils in the northeast region of the BSA for membership growth.

With new Scouts came more than 30 new adult volunteer leaders who will join hundreds of other leaders who help insure a great program for all of our Scouts. Despite the multitude of activities that are available to young people - some good and some not so good - national and local surveys tell us that parents want their children involved in a value based program that teaches character, citizenship and mental and moral fitness.

Exciting programs that challenge and enrich the lives of our young people take place every week throughout the year in Cub Scout Dens and Packs, Boy Scout Troops and Patrols, Venture Crews and Explorer Posts and at home within each Scouting Family. In addition, our council plans special activities designed to supplement and support individuals Unit Programs.

We're starting off here in January with a busy month: Cub Scout Leader Basic Training Jan. 19 - A must for all adult Cub Leaders new and old; Our Scout family Skate-a-thon on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 21 at Reva - fun, prizes, food, credit toward rank advancement, fitness and fellowship; The Klondike Derby on Saturday, Jan. 26 at Cato Elementary School - outdoor winter events and activities for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. And that's just January!

Highlights through out the year include February BSA Anniversary month activities with Blue and Gold Dinners and Courts of Honor; March's Council-wide Scouting Show and Pinewood Derby Races at Fingerlakes Mall on the March 8; April's Boy Scout Leader Basic and Outdoor Leader Training at Camp Rotary; May's Spring Camporee at Camp Gregory on Cayuga Lake; July's Cub Summer Camp Programs at Camp Rotary and Boy Scout Summer Camp at various area Scout Camps. September will end with a great weekend “Brotherhood Camporee” at Wellesley Island State Park along with more than 2,000 other Scouts from the Northeast and Canada; while October features our Seventh annual Halloween “Spook-O-Ree” event at Camp Rotary. Our “Good Turn” hats get put on in November as we collect food for the needy in our Community with our annual “Scouting for Food” Community-wide service project.

I welcome the hundreds of new Scouts and their families who joined our rank this past fall. Scouting will not only enrich your son's life but will enrich your entire family's lives as you participate in Scouting together. I'm sure our paths will cross as we continue to lead our sons. ... Along Scoutings Trail.

Don Grillo is the Scout executive for the Cayuga County Council, Boy Scouts of America located at 7235 Mutton Hill Road in Auburn.