Latest news with #GreatSmokyMountainCouncil
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Knoxville Catholic student named Scout of the Year for leadership, service
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Mason Marlowe is a student at Knoxville Catholic High School. He embodies the spirit of scouting through his actions and leadership. He's been chosen as a Scout of the Year by the Great Smoky Mountain Council. 'Right here is the field before the project, then this is what it looked like after we finished. This was one of the first times I was in charge of something,' said Marlowe. 'A natural fit' Scouts partner with American Eagle Foundation for 110th anniversary The 16-year-old is a leader on the rise. He showed us pictures of his Eagle Project, a Gaga Ball Pit at St. John Newman Middle School nearly two years ago. 'It was definitely a good experience. It was a benchmark of this is what I know for leadership and this is what I can improve on,' said Marlowe. Marlowe came up with the idea, developed the plan, and carried it out with help from his troop. 'During COVID, everything changed. Our middle school added a 15-minute break, just in the morning, where we could go outside for a break. They just gave us a field to play in, which was great, but I wanted to put the Gaga Pit in because it was a game we all knew and enjoyed,' said Marlowe. 'Right now, I'm the Troop Guide. I get to help with all the new scouts coming in. This year will be my fourth class of kids.' Swift actions of TWRA officer credited with saving two from Blount County dam In the summer, Marlowe is a counselor guiding new scouts at Camp Buck Toms. You'll also see him volunteering for various community service projects like Second Harvest Food Bank and the Empty Stocking Fund drive. 'I just love going to it and helping out. So, I started bringing some of my own buddies along, dragging them along to it. This year, we had, I think, 12 or 13 other people along with us. It's really impactful to be helping all those people,' said Marlowe. For his volunteer efforts, he's twice won the Presidential Service Award at Catholic High School. Scouting is shaping his life. 'It's taught me so much about how the world works, how people work with each other. It's taught me a lot about communication, how effective leadership can be with a group of people,' said Marlowe. A scout named Scout: Meet this year's Great Smoky Mountain Council Scout of the Year 'The real focus is fellowship': Sea Scout of the Year recognized for leadership, community service 'Scouting means family:' Cub Scout feeding others by founding nonprofit Marlowe and three other scouts will be recognized at the council's annual Distinguished Citizens Dinner tonight. The guest speaker will be Governor Bill Lee. At the banquet, the council will honor 110 iconic leaders since its founding 110 years ago. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘A natural fit' Scouts partner with American Eagle Foundation for 110th anniversary
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Great Smoky Mountain Council celebrated it's 110th anniversary on Wednesday with the organization partnering with the American Eagle Foundation. The partnership was signed Wednesday morning, and Great Smoky Mountain Council CEO and Scout Executive David Williams told 6 News the new partnership was 'a natural fit.' 'Our organization's just match up values and service together. It's an awesome opportunity for us to provide service to their organization and we're super grateful for the opportunity,' Williams said. A scout named Scout: Meet this year's Great Smoky Mountain Council Scout of the Year He explained that one of the first projects lined up is for a crew of Eagle Scout Alumni to help with improvements to the facilities that were requested by government agencies overseeing the American Eagle Foundation's facility. A signup is available for Eagle Scout Alumni on the Great Smoky Mountain Council's website. Williams also explained that for parents who may be questioning if they should sign up their children for scouting, it's much more than a camping club. 'Scouting at its core is a leadership program,' Williams said. 'We use camping and the outdoors and STEM to kind of hook the kids and say 'Hey, come have all this fun' and we work on in the background throughout their time in scouting— citizenship, personal fitness, reverence, leadership skills. So you come out at the end of it ready to be this great leader for our community throughout your lifetime.' 'Scouting means family:' Cub Scout feeding others by founding nonprofit He added that getting to watch scouts grow up and go from someone who wouldn't talk to you at first to someone speaking in front of a room full of people and become an iconic leader is an incredible gift. To learn more about how to get involved with scouting in East Tennessee, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Scouting means family:' Cub Scout feeding others by founding nonprofit
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — This year's Great Smoky Mountain Council Cub Scout of the Year is an active scout who sells popcorn, enjoys pinewood derby cars, going camping and being with his friends, but most importantly, is devoted to service. Acen Kala is a master cookie maker. He makes pans of his famous brownies made with the help of his mother Nisha. She's encouraged her 10 year old son to learn early about serving others. West wrestler Ahmed Shahin hits the ground running after move from Egypt He's just a 5th grader, yet he's demonstrated a strong sense of compassion and leadership. Acen founded his own non-profit, Mission ACE, about 3 years ago. It's purpose is to offer comfort and nourishment to those facing hard times. 'So, I help, I help the homeless a lot, that need food and that need clothing The homeless are unfortunate, so we need to help them more. We need to get them to another level that is good,' Acen Kala said. Acen has partnered with 'The Love Kitchen' providing food, and Angelic Ministries and the YWCA filling and distributing mission bags. Monthly, he takes goodies to Transformation Church's food pantry. Acen enjoys regular kids stuff too. He likes to go fishing. Another favorite, being outdoors with his friends. Acen has been a Cub Scout since the first grade. 'Scouting means family. Scouting is a community, it's a really close community. Through scouting we have build good friends who we see as family. For me as a parent it was important that he saw the homeless and what they were going through to help build that empathy. It's important in terms of growth. It has really shaped and formed Acen and his character,' Nisha Kala said. He's an academic achiever at Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge. 'The real focus is fellowship': Sea Scout of the Year recognized for leadership, community service Acen and his mom received the Dove Award from ARC for their contributions to those with developmental disabilities. His goal in life is to shoot for the stars. 'I want to get to space and try to see the moon and all kinds of things in space,' Acen Kala said. Acen is one of the three scouts being honored at the Great Smoky Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts' Distinguished Citizens Dinner. The council is also honoring 110 'iconic leaders' of the council as it celebrates its 110th year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘The real focus is fellowship': Sea Scout of the Year recognized for leadership, community service
SWEETWATER, Tenn. (WATE) — Jonathan McDaniel is a member of Scouting America's oldest program, Sea Scouts. It's been around since 1912, just two years after the organization was founded. He was named the Great Smoky Mountain Council's Sea Scout of the Year. McDaniel started in scouting as a first grader. His awards case is filled with patches from excursions to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, to the Sea Base High Adventure Base in Florida, to earning the Eagle rank, scouting's highest honor. City begins implementing new Downtown Knoxville parking plan: What to know 'Everyone loves the patches in scouting. I think the real focus is fellowship, being able to meet different people and get involved in the community,' said McDaniel. 'I have spent the last five years in leadership positions.' For the last three years, he's been an instructor at Camp Buck Toms, an assistant scoutmaster in Sweetwater and an Order of the Arrow leader. His recent passion has been helping form SHIP 98 and serve as its first Boatswain. 'It was a little bit of a process, but we had enough support and people wanting to be a part of it that it came through fairly smoothly,' he said. Tree-lined plazas, new splash pad to surround Covenant Health Park When asked what he would said to young people who may want to join Sea Scout, he said the following. 'Oh, I encourage them fully. I let them know how much fun we have, all the different water experiences we get to have, and all the things you can learn by it. There are not a lot of opportunities unless your family is involved with boating and water recreation other than Sea Scouting,' said McDaniel. McDaniel earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2021. 'With my Eagle project, I was working with the city [of Sweetwater]. I made several recycling barrels for the city to put out,' said McDaniel. 'I wanted to help the city to appear greener and actually be greener. It's a hard task especially when they want you go to through all of the paperwork. They teach you how important it is to go through processes, to be able to manage yourself through that, and to keep yourself accountable with it.' McDaniel was a member of the council's leadership conference at the Philmont Training Center last summer. 'If you like being outdoors, scouting is where you need to be,' said McDaniel. Knoxville scout uses Eagle Project to help his former school recover from tornado McDaniel and three other scouts will be honored on Thursday, Feb 27, 2025, at the council's annual distinguished citizen's dinner. Governor Bill Lee will be the guest speaker. The council will be celebrating 110 of its iconic leaders who have been part of the Scouting America program in East Tennessee since 1915. The Great Smoky Mountain Council served over 7,500 scouts this past year, plus, nearly 2,000 adults were registered as volunteers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
