On the evening of September 26, 2023, Cub Scout Pack 197 welcomed a special guest speaker, Mr. Tom Coen, an elected leader from the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. 10 Cub Scouts from Pack 197 sat down with Mr. Coen to discuss his leadership journey, as part of their development as future leaders in our community and nation – one of the core goals for all youth in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) program. This event was held at the Ferry Farm Baptist Church and was coordinated, by the adult Scout leaders of the Pack, to help fulfill the Scouts’ advancement requirements for their Wolf Adventure Council Fire “Duty to Country” and Arrow of Light Adventure “Building a Better World.” Also attending this event were 5 Adult Scouter leaders and 4 Scout Parents.
Pack 197 Scout leaders combined the Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Dens to talk with Mr. Coen about why he chose to run for public office and about his leadership role as a member of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. Mr. Coen discussed with the Scouts how members of the Board of Supervisors work together to make decisions about improving the roads, schools, businesses and utilities in Stafford County and how they develop a budget every year to responsibly use taxpayers’ money to pay for all these projects. In addition to his service on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, Mr. Coen is also a professional educator.
The Scouts were given an opportunity to ask Mr. Coen questions – Tommy, a member of the Wolf Den, asked if there was a plan to fix the levels of lead and bacteria in the water of Hartwood Elementary School (where he is a 2nd grade student). Mr. Coen let Tommy and the other Scouts know that the Board is exploring different ideas and diligently working on finding a solution to fix the problems with the water at Hartwood Elementary School.
Other questions the Scouts had for Mr. Coen included subjects like: What is your most important responsibility? Why did you want to be on the Board of Supervisors? What are our biggest problems in Stafford County? 
Time for your family to explore such challenges and have fun adventures too? To join BSA, please go to www.beascout.org to find a BSA Scout unit near you – Cub Scouting serves families with children in Kindergarten through 5th Grade; Scouts BSA serves families with children ages 11-18. There are BSA programs for families with older Youths, ages 14 – 20, including Venturing, Exploring or Sea Scouting.
The mission of the BSA is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Aquia District includes Stafford County and Marine Corps Base Quantico. For more information on Scouting in Stafford/Fredericksburg area, including how to donate, join or volunteer, contact Kristy Freeman, Aquia District Executive, at Kristy.Freeman@Scouting.org or (540)287-3866.
