Joseph Lepak, from Alexandria, VA, a member of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Catholic Community, Archdioceses for the Military Services, USA is one of seven recipients of a service scholarship awarded in 2019 by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS) through the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship Fund.
Joseph received a $2,000 scholarship. As a military kid, Joseph moved around a lot but the two things that were consistent in his life were Catholic chapels on military posts and Scouts, so they both became very important to him. He says, “as a result of my faith and upbringing, I also have an extreme desire to serve others…It is very important to me that my legacy and my accomplishments in work, affect others for the better. I want the people of this country-and the world-to be better off due to my actions.”
After his dad retired, Joseph was able to stay in Northern Virginia throughout his high school years. He has held numerous leadership positions in Scouting including Senior Patrol Leader, Order of the Arrow (OA) Vice Chief of Finances, Ordeal Master and Area Chief, leading almost 1,000 Scouts in five chapters (Order of the Arrow is Scouting’s National Honor Society). Joseph has also STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) activity leader, secretary, and president of his Venturing Crew.
Joseph is currently Junior Assistant Scout Master of Troop 129 in Alexandria, VA. His Eagle Scout Project involved designing and constructing a new tool shed and improving the gardens for a middle school. He has been a participant in the 2015 World Scout Jamboree and the Inter-American Scout Jamboree in Ecuador. With his Venturing Crew he attended the National Jamboree in West Virginia, Sea Base Bahamas, and Northern Tier High Adventure. Joseph received several awards including the Dr. Bernard Harris Bronze Supernova Award, designed to introduce and encourage further study of STEM.
Through his archdiocese, Joseph has earned all four of the religious awards and has served as an altar server, lector, teen leader for vacation Bible School, assisted with clothing and food drives and with the Adult Education Program.
Always wanting to serve, Joseph has worked with many community organizations, including Wreaths Across America, Alexandrians Living Ecumenically, helping to set up and distribute food to low-income families, Scouting for Food, Park Clean-Up, National Cherry Blossom Festival, Meals on Wheels and Metavivor, a cancer survivor fundraiser swim-a-thon.
Academically, Joseph was selected for admission to T.C. Williams STEM Academy and to participate in their Cyber Security Camp. He has received numerous academic awards and represented his school through his science research. He has been active in “The High School Project Plan”, which aims to resolve issues around growing student enrollment and space at his high school. He also recently joined Community for Renewable Energy (CURE). Their mission is to train school staff and inform students about creating eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable schools. Joseph has been accepted at George Mason University and is interested in studying political science.
To be eligible to apply for the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship, the Scout must be Catholic, earned the Ad Altare Dei and/ or Pope Pius XII Awards, and received the Eagle Scout, Summit, or Quartermaster Award. Visit the website for a complete list of award recipients, eligibility requirements and applications.
National Capital Area Council, BSA’s 39th Annual Boy Scout Golf Classic was held on June 10, 2019 at the Manor Country Club in Rockville MD. 250 golfers teed off for a great day of golfing. Rain for the morning did not dampen the great golfing that took place for the day. Thankfully the skies cleared, and the afternoon proved to be much better weather wise. 
Phil is excited to begin his 17th summer working on staff at Goshen Scout Reservation. It will also be his fourth year as the Director of Operations. Beforehand, he worked 10 summers at Camp Bowman, with the last three as the Camp Director. He has served in various positions including Ecology Instructor, First Year Camper Director, and Camp Commissioner. With his promotion, he now serves as NCAC’s Director of Camping with oversight over Goshen, Camp Snyder, Camp Airy, and Camp Wall.
This will be Carl’s 18th summer as a Goshen staff member, and 13th summer at Camp Bowman. Carl has a lot of experience in many different areas of camp, from a variety of program areas to Bowman Program Director, Lenhok’sin Camp Director, and even an NCAC District Executive. When not at Goshen, Carl lives in Australia, works as a high school teacher/administrator/outdoor educator, and runs a successful watersports business at the beach in Australia. Carl is excited to return to Bowman as Camp Director, and hopes to help maintain the many traditions which have made Camp Bowman such a powerful and positive influence on so many young people, while also thoughtfully navigating the many new challenges and changes which come with each summer at camp.
This will be Lauren’s 12th summer at Goshen and 2nd as the Marriott Camp Director. She spent 10 summers at Camp Olmsted as Ecology Instructor, Ecology Director, Trailshead Director, Program Director, and, most recently, Camp Director. She is known for her endless enthusiasm through the summer, and is incredibly excited to get this summer rolling. When not at Marriott, Lauren is the Assistant Program Director at Mountain Trail Outdoor School in Western North Carolina, which means she can change young lives throughout all 12 months – what a dream!
Allan is joining us for his 9th summer at Goshen and his 2nd summer as Camp Director. He has previously worked in facilities and Shooting Sports.
This will be Ian’s 10th summer at Goshen and 1st summer as PMI Camp Director. He comes to us from Camp Ross, where he has worked in a plethora of areas and positions, most recently as Camp Director. He is a very exciting and outgoing individual and especially loves working closely with the Scouts. He will bring much experience and joy to the camp and ensure Camp PMI maintains its positive growth and excellence for years to come. When Ian is not a Camp Director, he teaches 8th Grade English in the Shenandoah Valley.
Taylor as a Scout attended and worked at Goshen Camps and is excited to return this year to Camp Ross. He is a very exciting and outgoing individual and especially loves working closely with the Scouts. He will bring much experience and joy to the camp and ensure Camp Ross maintains its positive growth and excellence for years to come. Taylor recently earned his MA in English from James Madison University and is excited that Camp Director is his first career step after graduate school.
This will be Griff’s 2nd year at Lenhok’sin. He has worked at BSA camps of all sorts since he was 13 years old. He has specifically worked at a lot of trek based camps and interpretive camps in leadership roles. Outside of camp, Griff is a middle school science teacher. He is currently working on his PhD for Educational Administration. He is looking forward to working hard with the staff and providing a quality program this summer.