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The following is a letter sent from the Mayor’s Office to various residents of Athens as part of the 2013 fundraising campaign for Boy Scouts of America. Below as well are statistics regarding the impact of Scouting on Athens and Limestone County. Please consider helping and attending the breakfast. Thank you Ali Turner.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner

April 4, 2013

Dear Community Leader,

There are 464 Cub and Boy Scouts in Limestone County, and through their hard work, they perform nearly 1,800 service hours in our community. For more than 100 years, Scouting has provided our youth with opportunities to learn about ideals of leadership, character, citizenship, physical fitness and achievement. This is evident when we see a Scout Troop picking up litter on a roadside or an Eagle Scout candidate improving a walking trail or chronicling the names of veterans buried at local cemeteries.

Scouting is about more than protecting and enjoying the outdoors, however. Scouts enhance their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, math and workforce development through merit badge programs.

To help promote and maintain Scouting in Athens and Limestone County and other counties served by the Arrowhead District, I am hosting the Boy Scouts Community Breakfast on May 1 at 7:30 a.m. at the Beasley Center at 202 W. Bryan St. in Athens. I am honored that University of North Alabama Football Coach Bobby Wallace has agreed to be our keynote speaker. He will share his experiences of working as a team toward a goal and overcoming adversities to reach your goals.

During the breakfast, we will also honor Project LifeSaver, which was implemented in our county by TRIAD and local law enforcement. Through this program, families who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s, dementia or autism can obtain a tracking bracelet for their loved one and register his or her information with local law enforcement. If the loved one wanders off, the tracking bracelet helps law enforcement locate the person quickly before the person is injured or dies from an accident or exposure.

Receiving Heart of an Eagle Awards for this program will be TRIAD, Limestone County Sheriff’s Department, Athens Police Department, Ardmore Police Department and Elkmont Police Department. If actor Michael O’Neill’s filming schedule permits, he will attend and present these awards. Mr. O’Neill grew up in Alabama and has appeared on TV in shows like “NCIS”, “The Mentalist” and “The West Wing” and in movies such as “J. Edgar” and “Dallas Buyers Club.”

The Round Island Creek Male Chorus will perform prior to the program.

Please support this breakfast and Scouting if possible. You can do so by sponsoring a table of 8 for $500, buying a seat for $75 or sending a donation if you cannot attend. Athens and Limestone County benefit greatly from having a caring community willing to volunteer to make this a better place. We can encourage that giving spirit by supporting our youth who participate in programs such as Scouting.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,