McCrory lunches with Scouters
By Dennis Hill
Published in News on April 8, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Members of Cub Scout Pack 2 present the colors at the Tuscarora Council's annual Friends of Scouting luncheon.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Gov. Pat McCrory, himself a former Boy Scout, speaks to a gathering of more than 200 Scouting supporters at the Walnut Creek Country Club. McCrory said the state and nation need more youth to become involved in Scouting because of the values they learn.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Mike Pate, left, accepts the Order of the Long Leaf Pine from Gov. Pat McCrory on Tuesday at the Tuscarora Boy Scout Council's annual Friends of Scouting fundraising luncheon.
Gov. Pat McCrory was the guest speaker at the Tuscarora Boy Scout Council's annual Friends of Scouting fundraising luncheon Tuesday at the Walnut Creek Country Club.
The governor praised the Scouting program for its development of young men, saying the country needs men who espouse the ideals that Scouting promotes.
"We need Boy Scouts now. We needed them in the past and we need them in the future," the governor said, "because they're teaching certain values. Values that we need and will need."
McCrory said Scouting is not about badges or individual honors but about learning those values.
"It's showing them what's right and what's wrong. And that comes from inside, not outside," McCrory said.
"There is a reason they are committed to service. It's because its the right thing to do and it comes naturally to them."
He urged the more than 200 Scouting supporters in attendance to donate freely because it is the right thing to do for the next generation.
"We all have a responsibility to leave this a better place than when we came, and the Boy Scout program teaches just that and we need it now more than ever," McCrory said.
The governor said the state and nation need strong leaders and that the Boy Scouts help build them.
"We are building leaders for the future. The reason they're committed to service is because its the right thing to do and it comes from within. And that's why the Boy Scout program is so, so important.
"Its about the next generation, making sure they have the talent to fill jobs and give back to our community and to our society," McCrory said. "And that's why I think the Boy Scouts of America is such a great organization.
"We need to develop more leadership for the future," he said. We need to encourage more of our youth to get involved in Scouting so they are not swayed by what they see on TV or on the computer or out on the streets."
"We're fighting a lot of forces that don't want our youth to learn good values or good leadership," McCrory said. "That's why you need to double the size of your check."
Scouting teaches young people to be innovative and adapt, to overcome obstacles, he said.
McCrory praised the leadership of the Tuscarora Council, which includes Wayne, Duplin and Johnston counties.
"The partnership you have among the these counties is second to nobody in the state of North Carolina," he said.
McCrory took the occasion to present a veteran Wayne County Scouter, Mike Pate of the Pate-Dawson Co., with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his many years of service to Scouting and the state.
Pate has demonstrated strong values and strong principles for many years and is an example of what a good leader is, McCrory said, calling him a role model for both young people and adults.