My Scouting journey started with my father who was born during the Great Depression. He joined Cub Scouts only to drop out when his family could no longer afford to pay his dues. His dream was to give his family the opportunity to participate in Scouting that he never had. I joined Scouting as a Cub and continued as a Boy Scout eventually earning the rank of Eagle Scout. The first merit badge I earned was Canoeing. Little did I know that several years later I would put that learning to use in rescuing a group of 8th Grade girls on a school field trip who swamped their canoe and without life jackets started the long swim back to shore. I remembered the T-Rescue technique and with the help of a few friends got everyone safely back into their canoe. My Scout training helped prepare me for the unexpected and enabled me to effectively address what might have been a life-threatening crisis.
Having benefitted from the selfless service of leaders who influenced and supported me, I resolved as an adult to give back to the Scouting program and became an Assistant Scoutmaster and later Scoutmaster of a troop in California. Almost ten years ago my family and I moved to Massachusetts and my son began his own journey in Scouting. Now he has earned his Eagle and is beginning to prepare for college. For the past four years I have been able to serve on the Council Executive Board and in January assumed the role as Mayflower Council President. I have seen the amazing impact that Scouting can have on people – both youth and adults alike. The values and life skills Scouting provides to those that participate and volunteer are unparalleled in any other organization.
It has been said that the only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes. I might add a third – change. In 2017 we successfully merged the legacy Knox Trail and Old Colony councils into the Mayflower Council as well as our two Order of the Arrow lodges into Tantamous Lodge. We hired our new Scout Executive, Bryan Feather, and consolidated our support staff, executive board, officers and council committees. In 2018 we will complete redistricting and introduce girls into our Cub Scout program. While change can be difficult, it is essential for continual growth and improvement. As the Mayflower Council leadership we are committed to growing membership, providing an amazing program to our youth and training our leaders. We appreciate all that you do! Scouting has so much to offer and we don’t want anyone to miss out. I hope that each of us will reflect on our own personal Scouting journey and how we can help to create a new legacy as the Mayflower Council. Whether you are a youth or an adult, please invite someone you know to participate in Scouting and you will change their life for the better forever. Let’s enjoy the Scouting journey!
Yours in Scouting,
Michael Rotar
Mayflower Council President
