Scouting programs in Inner-City Knoxville Tennessee

My name is Anthony Ingram (Eagle Scout) and I am the District Executive for the Chehote CHAMPIONS District of the Boy Scouts of America, Great Smoky Mountain Council. The Chehote District is mainly situated within the I-640 loop that goes around Knoxville, Tn and includes the Empowerment Zone (EZ) area. Urban youth that live in this area are often referred to as at-risk and disadvantaged. I choose to refer to these youths and the many adults who serve them as the Chehote Champions!

District Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to help other people by instilling values in young people. To accomplish this, the Chehote District will ensure that culturally diverse youth have the opportunity to join and both fully participate in and benefit from the Scouting program by recruiting, training, and retaining strong adult leaders, and by identifying and developing solid relationships with community/charter organizations throughout Knoxville and Knox County.

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The BSA-GSMC offers the following program areas: Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crews, Explorer Posts, and Learning for Life Units.
Traditional Scouting is made up of 3 programs - Cub Scouting is for boys in grades 1-5, Boy Scouting is for boys in grades 6-12, and Venture Scouting is for boys and girls ages 14-20.

Non-Traditional Scouting is made up of 2 programs - Career Exploring is coed, for ages 14-20 and usually based around a particular career field. Learning for Life is a coed K-12 Character Development program used by many schools and other organizations.

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Scouting in the USA will celebrate its 100 Year Anniversary in 2010. We are alive and well because of the commitment of the volunteers that donate their Time, Talent, and Treasure to youth. If you want to make a true and lasting difference in the world, you don't need a passport and you don't have to cross time zones - but you do have to be willing to leave your comfort zone!
I invite you to join the adventure of Scouting in the Chehote District with your:

Time: I know you're busy.Hey, We're all busy.But we all have a few hours of month that we can spare. Maybe you could serve as a Den Leader, or a Cubmaster, or a Scoutmaster or a District Chairman or a Unit Commissioner. Whether long term or short term one thing is sure: volunteering will do YOU a world of good! 2009 will be our BEST YEAR EVER. You can be one of our 100x100 Champion Ambassadors - 100 new Leaders - (trained, motivated, and dedicated) before the 100th anniversary of Scouting in February 2010. Our Goal is to SERVE and SAVE almost 1,000 youth (ages 5-20) from the inner-city area of Knoxville, TN. Together, we can do this - and more!

Talent: Everyone has literally hundreds of gifts and talents and abilities that they can share with others. Maybe you could be a Merit Badge Counselor. Maybe you are really good at cooking. Maybe you love talking on the phone and/or building a team to get a project done. Whatever YOUR talent might be, there is a place for you in Scouting.

Treasure: Every gift matters. No gift is too small to make a difference. Maybe you could give monthly. Maybe you would be more comfortable with a one-time gift. Maybe you have supplies or equipment or other items that you can donate. Whatever seed that you sow will grow into a tremendous harvest!

Contact me by email: aingram(at)bsamail.org