Scouting, Volume 84, Number 6, November-December 1996 Page: 33
50, [20] p. : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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(Above) Savannah police officer Ayinde Afiba recalled his
Scouting days in Brooklyn when he started Troop 219.
(Right) Scouts set up camp at the district first-aid camporee
in April. (Below, right) Coastal Empire Council staffer Mel
Stockton briefs campers on the day's events, which
include different skill stations, such as (below, left) one
featuring instruction from an emergency medical team.
ORJAL MEDICAL C6
medtd
Scout troop. "Do whatever it takes,"
he was told.
And he did.
Help from a judge
The first six months were the
toughest, as Afiba faced his biggest
hurdle—finding financial support. At
first the Housing Authority of Savan-
nah, which operates Hitch Village
and the city's 11 other public housing
communities, chipped in.
Then Judge John E. Morse, a for-
mer Life Scout who had spent time in
Hitch Village because his grand-
mother lived there, learned about the
fledgling troop and decided to help.
"Having been a Scout, I knew the
benefits of Scouting," said Morse, a
superior court judge. "It gave me
most of the principles I still live by
today."
Morse took the idea of sponsoring
the troop to a service organization he
belonged to, the Savannah Jaycees.
The Jaycees signed on as chartered
partner and, since then, have provid-
ed charter and registration fees, pur-
chased uniforms, and paid for sum-
mer camp for some troop members.
In return, the boys must earn their
uniforms and other expenses by per-
forming service projects for the Jay-
cees, such as tree planting, beautifi-
cation projects, and trash clean-up
days. They recently spent an after-
noon moving piles of sand for a local
playground.
As word spread, assistance came
from other areas of the community. A
church let the troop use its bus; an
area company donated tents, cooking
gear, and other supplies. And the
housing authority continues to help
with grant money to the council,
which is used for many purposes, in-
cluding sending members of Troop
219 to summer camp.
Finding financial help may have
been difficult at first, but finding
Scouts certainly wasn't.
Youth in the public housing devel-
opment were looking for things to do.
They just weren't sure that Scouting
was it.
Many youth in this predominately
African-American neighborhood
thought Scouting was something
"just white kids did."
A special award
To counter their concerns, Afiba,
and members of the troop council, de-
vised a special African Cultural
Award, which is being implemented
council-wide (continued on page J/-2)
Scouting 'ip November-December 1996
33
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 84, Number 6, November-December 1996, periodical, November 1996; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353678/m1/53/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.