To boil down my reason for service in the Order into a
single statement is because I truly believe in the purpose
of the Order of the Arrow. This
purpose consists of four parts and each of these parts explain why I love the
Order and Scouting and why I continue to serve in any way I can.
The first part of that purpose is the recognition of
deserving Scouts and Scouters. Being the
national honor society of Scouting means that I have the privilege of
surrounding myself with some of the best people that the Mason-Dixon Council
has to offer. As a youth this is what
drew me into the Order, as I was advancing in both rank and age there were
fewer things my troop had to offer me but the Lodge had older youth, new
adventures and leadership opportunities for me.
Guneukitschik continues to offer these opportunities to our youth as
well as new opportunities for those of us who are no longer youth. Any service with this group of individuals is
rewarding simply because I value the relationships that I have already built
and will continue to build with the Lodge members.
The second part of the purpose is about the promotion of camping
and I have been a life-long camper who wants to share this love with
others. Some of the best experiences in
my life have happened at Scout camps. Working
at Cub day camps and summer camp as a youth instilled the Scouting spirit in
me. Additionally, having had the chance
to attend National
Jamborees, Philmont, NJLIC
(now called NAYLE) as well as many other local campouts has truly made me
the self-reliant and confident person I am today. Those experiences as a youth were crucial to
my development and I feel that my service now is repaying a debt to all those
who enabled me to have these experiences when they influenced me the most.
Developing leaders is the third part of the
purpose of the Order of the Arrow and education is something I strongly believe
in and have dedicated my life to pursuing.
My experiences learning about leadership as a Scout have helped me
tremendously in all parts of my life.
Every day I use some of the leadership skills and techniques I have acquired
from Scouting in my work life as well as my leadership roles in Scouting. One of my other current roles is serving on
the staff of the National
Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) which allows me to see Arrowmen and others
using and developing those leadership skills.
Seeing these skills in action during an intensive camping experience
brings joy to me every year. In addition
to this joy, serving in this way actually has the additional benefit of
allowing me to work with well-trained leaders in the future. Seeing youth use those leadership skills
acquired through Scouting is one of the greatest joys any scouter can
experience.
The final part of the purpose is so well written that I will
quote it directly. "Crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others." This is
fundamental to my beliefs about what not only scouting is about, but what life
is about. The ideas of helpfulness and
cheerful service are what have enabled this organization to stand the test of
time. If I want to call myself a Scout,
I have to be helpful; if I want to call myself an Arrowman, I have to provide
cheerful service. Seeing the impacts of
my service on our camp, our community and our society is its own reward.
I try to live up to the four parts I have outlined
above. Scouting and the Order of the
Arrow have given so much to me during all phases of my life. Even after many years of service I still feel
indebted to the Scouting organization for what it has done for me. My little bits of service are my small way of
paying back and trying to give other scouts similar opportunities and
experiences to what I have had.
Please use the comments section below to let us know “Why Do
You Serve?”
John Hamman
Order of the Arrow Lodge Adviser
Order of the Arrow Lodge Adviser
