WILMINGTON — The five-county Boy Scouts of America’s Tecumseh Council area, which includes Clinton County, has seen its Scouting membership grow two years in a row.

A “Robert E. Hadley Friends of Scouting” luncheon was held this week at the Wilmington Elks Lodge where Scout Executive Robert Lavoie was pleased to report the increases in membership among Tecumseh Council Scouting units had amounted to 3.4 and 3.9 percent, chronologically, the past two years.

Lavoie did not break the increases down to the individual Tecumseh Council counties of Clinton, Greene, Clark, Logan and Champaign Counties. But nonetheless there were Clinton County numbers from 2017.

In 2017 in Clinton County, there were 219 youth in six Cub Scout Packs; 123 youth in seven Boy Scout Troops; and nine youth in one Venturing Crew.

And while most people are aware of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, the luncheon’s printed program describes the Venturing activity as “a high adventure program for both young men and women 14-20 years old.”

An area man attending the luncheon recalled his Scouting days as involving camping, cooking, hiking and so forth. He added the experience also offered him a free look at career opportunities.

Guest speaker Dan Kirkpatrick said his initial merit badge was for first aid. He noted he went on to be an Air Force nurse for 28 years, and his last job was as chief nurse at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base hospital.

Kirkpatrick also feels his camping experiences in Scouting gave him “a leg up” in that regard when he entered the military.

The Tecumseh Council’s camping facility is the 440-acre Camp Hugh Taylor Birch — for short, Camp Birch — which is near Yellow Springs in Greene County.

Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.