The Impact of Scouting: Life Lessons and Community Values

It's hard to really attribute what values that I learned from scouts. The thing that really happens is they

expose me to so many uh integrity and honesty really come to mind because again that's the foundation

of I think what Magnum was meant to be. We've always been this is part of our culture is that when there's a

problem that we're not right off looking for blame. We're right off looking for

solutions. And if you attack it that way, it's almost like you look forward to problems because then you really get

challenged on how to fix a solution. Those are uh real life lessons that are

[Music] transferable. Uh the staff is great. I love the people. The experiences are so

fun and I get to spend lots of time in places like this and I love the mountains. It took a lot for me to get

out of my comfort zone which is my room. But I'm I'm happy to be here and I think people would benefit. It's a great

experience. And I'm in camp because I want to make friends and I like being around people and I want to earn merit

badges to help me reach up the rank of eagle. Well, it's in the woods and all the people are really connected here and

everybody's really nice. It's a good way to get merit badges and meet new friends and interact with people. It's a great

opportunity and all the staff are kind of like a family. It's just super fun and all the adventures that you'll make

along the way. It's like nice and calm and there's some really cool fun people here. When I went camping, I only had

three friends that I know from Naloato, but then we started um talking to the other kids that were in our campsite. We

we were all day together and it was fun. Like the helmets and all that stuff feels so cool when you're wearing it and

like the welding stuff is on. That's tough. It's all pretty awesome. I don't know. It's something about the

combination of the stuff that's unique to this camp and something about just the attitude of the staff that just sort

of make this place feel like home to me. Honestly, I don't think there's anywhere I'd rather be than here at High Sierra.

I never could afford to go to summer camp. U it would be great to uh to make sure that kids could afford to go to his

camp. And uh uh you know, I'm not the only one. I one of my best friends I've known for a long time. He came forward

the other day and said he always asked his mom if he could go and she said no. It just wasn't in the

cards. After taking a tour of Camp High Sierra, you can't help but be impressed by how much they're exposed to in in a

week. Really thankful there's stuff like that out there. And if you don't get it here, where else you going to get it

from? Uh camping would have never happened I not got into the Boy Scouts. But I can't imagine life without knowing

how to camp, pitch a tent, and uh cook outdoors. You know, when I think about Gary, think

of a man who as uh not just not just being successful, but a man who has helped so many different people, his

family, friends, uh employees here at the company. his uh mission in life is to to help where he can and do what he

can to make sure that everybody in his life is successful. It's a people-driven organization, right? And uh he takes

care of his people and his people take care of him. There's a lot of loyalty that goes both ways. His his employees

are loyal to him because he's loyal to the employees. Jerry has himself uh with a scout. He's uh totally

committed to uh to anything that can be done for children and um uh he just he just backs

up, you know, what his commitments are. He represents u a distinguished man in this in this community and u I think Boy

Scouts should be very proud that uh he's been honored as their distinguished man of the year. He he believes that a lot

of the character development that he had because he was raised mostly without a father came from the scouts. And um he

just he's honest and and he's candid. He's straightforward. Um and he's done a lot for the community. I don't know of

anybody that lives the scout values like Gary does every day. He just lives them. You can just see by the decisions he

makes and how he talks to people and it's it's they're there. Uh the Boy Scout motto be prepared and help others

in need as well as their slogan of uh do a good turn daily exemplifies how Gary approaches life. My relationship with

him has made me become like a better person. I don't know how many people know this about Gary, but Gary grew up

without a father figure in the household. And so the scouts were a huge part of his upbringing and it was really

interesting to talk to him and him share stories about how that impacted him. If Gary is actually a byproduct of his

involvement, exposure, let's say, to the scouts, um, then they should be using Gary as their poster child moving

forward because his moral compass, his ethics, and just the way, you know, he handles himself and his demeanor, um,

says a lot about, I think, the scouting, you know, curriculum, if if he's the byproduct.

First of all, let me uh say how much I appreciate getting this honor and I realize that the people that I share

this honor with are a world of uh all by them theirelves. So, it's it's quite amazing that I'm considered for this.

And I have to tell you, I did not know the scouts were planting seeds with me when it was happening. when I was

helping Landon with the scout oath and the uh scout laws that I go, "Whoa, I remember

these. They haven't changed in 54 years." And please, let's see if we can't dig a little deeper and send as

many of our kids as possible to Camp High Sierra. It's an amazing experience. The seeds that are planted can last a

lifetime.