LAMORINDA WEEKLY | It Takes an Army (of Volunteers!)


Erik Voss and other young BSA campers take aim at their targets. Photo provided by Deborah MacDonald-Moskowitz

If Boy Scouts of America Summer Camp Director Deborah MacDonald-Moskowitz's five-year tenure is any indication, the most essential ingredients for a volunteer-staffed camp are enthusiasm and dedication. "The camp only runs," she says, "because so many parents and volunteers are helping out."

The week-long Boy Scouts of America (BSA) camp utilizes the campus of Saint Mary's College from August 8-12, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. Camp activities are only possible via the help of volunteer staff as well as volunteers from the community and parents of the campers themselves. For example, local librarians donate time for "story hour," and the SWAT team stops by to show off its impressive vehicles.

These members of the community are not paid in any way, Moskowitz emphasized, "They simply know what a great program the BSA is for our young people. You know the saying 'it takes a village to raise a child?' That's what the BSA is all about: raising responsible, knowledgeable members of the community."

To manage the 150-165 campers, Moskowitz and her co-director Mary Ann Brent (also a volunteer), rely heavily on the support of the parents who have sons (and daughters) attending the camp. Though volunteers must be trained, parents who volunteer their time are given a discount on their camper's tuition. Parents who volunteer can also enroll siblings who are not Boy Scout members in the "Tag Along" program, which is similar to the BSA curriculum and is open to both boys and girls, 1st through 6th grade.

The camp is "fun, rambunctious and dirty," said Moskowitz, and the campers are able to not only learn athletic skill, but important life skills like knife safety and how to operate a fire extinguisher, to name a few.

"Speaking as a mom myself, volunteering is a rewarding way to witness the lives of your children," Moskowitz said. "You get to see your child within their own milieu; it's a pretty amazing experience. And after the week is over, everyone's just glowing."

You have to be a member of the Boy Scouts of America to attend this summer camp, but Moskowitz says registration is easy. "Just join anytime. It's a nominal fee to join." Registration can be completed online at: http://www.bsa-mdsc.org. And once a member, it's just as easy-- if not more rewarding-- to volunteer.