John Savage (front row, fourth from left), Great Lakes Council of the Boy Scouts district chairman, receives a $10,000 check from Dearborn CPA Karl Fava, representative of the estate of Guy Hammond, at the council’s annual Scouts in Action breakfast at Park Place Catering.
DEARBORN — The Great Lakes Council of the Boy Scouts recently held its Scouts in Action breakfast at Park Place Catering.
Owner Gary Kuhlmann annually hosts the organization (formerly known as the Downriver Council). Kuhlmann welcomed the attendees with his opening remarks and reminded the crowd, “Scouting provides a diversion for young men in keeping them occupied in clean wholesome activities. Support of the Boy Scouts not only benefits these young men, it also aids our community.”
Mayor John O’Reilly Jr., a former Scout, talked about his days in the Scouts.
“My father (former Mayor John O’Reilly Sr.) became the scoutmaster at the Woodworth Elementary School even though he did not have kids in the Scouts because the school was going to lose its troop without a leader,” he said. “My father and my family were very committed to the Scouts. I was lucky, as I was able to participate in Scouting events with the ‘older’ boys when I was in elementary school.”
The event also featured speeches by John Savage, Great Lakes Council district chairman, and also Chuck Truza, vice president of Outdoor Adventure for the Boy Scouts. Truza discussed current events and said the Great Lakes Council has 53 Cub Scout packs, 38 Boy Scout troops and eight Venturing crews. The council has more than 1,000 registered adult volunteers.”
The council also received a $10,000 donation from the estate of Guy Hammond. A longtime Dearborn resident and former employee of AAA Club of Michigan, he was an avid outdoorsman and wanted his estate to be used to benefit the youth of Dearborn, especially in activities like Scouting.