What Earning Wood Badge Means to This Cubmaster
Scouting Wire would like to thank Krista Schubert of River Cities Gazette for writing and submitting this story.
Cubmaster Fabian Perez-Crespo of Pack 425, the Miami Springs Boy Scouts of America pack, was recognized as a Wood Badge leader at the group’s final meeting before summer break, earlier this month.
For his Wood Badge project, Perez-Crespo, a Miami Springs resident for the last 10 years, chose to document and archive the history of the Cub Scout programs in Miami Springs, Virginia Gardens, and Medley.
Perez-Crespo spoke about the historical importance that his project would have and how he hoped it would create a sense of continuity for the Boy Scouts program.
“First of all, living here in the Springs and living in VG, we’re surrounded by history,” he shared with River Cities Gazette. “A lot of what we do is to acknowledge and appreciate and honor the history of the community.”
The cubmaster got emotional as he talked about the personal impact this project would have and how he hoped future generations would take away something great from it.
“So, my wish is that when I move on and my son moves on to the troop, and maybe the day he has kids, that he could look back and say, ‘I did this with my dad or my mom’ and he can share that with his kids. It’s about honoring the past and preparing for the future.”
At the Wood Badge ceremony, Darryl Hickey, from Belen Troop 43, presented Perez-Crespo with the symbolic salmon-colored neckerchief, woggle, and wooden beads that are worn around a Wood Badge leader’s neck. As Assistant Scoutmaster of the Wood Badge course, Hickey knows the ins and outs of the program – from diversity and bonding to first-time camping in the Everglades.
“Seeing the culmination of all these different people, adults-male and female-Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Scoutmasters, and committee members coming together and all for a common good and a bond. And going out camping together. A lot of them have never camped before, so seeing that was really interesting,” Hickey said about the Wood Badge experience.
The Wood Badge training program is a two-weekend long premier leadership program that Perez-Crespo compared to an MBA leadership program for a fraction of the cost.
“It’s about camaraderie, its about spirit. It gave me a macro-vision of what the Boy Scouts of America is and what’s at stake for the young men, and now young women, of our country. Any activity that we do, it’s all about the kids. And Wood Badge gave me that bigger perspective of why I’m doing this,” said Perez-Crespo.
You can read the full story in the June 28, 2018 edition of the Miami Springs River Cities Gazette.
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