Posted on 08/09/2003 8:45:20 PM PDT by chance33_98
Boy Scout council 'devastated' by United Way cuts
The board chairman of the local group said a program for inner-city children would be lost.
By Linda K. Harris Inquirer Staff Writer
The board chairman of a regional Boy Scouts council said yesterday that the group was distraught over the loss of funding from the United Way.
On Thursday, the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania voted to cancel the second half of a $400,862 grant for the Cradle of Liberty Council because the council reneged on its adoption of a nondiscrimination policy against gays. United Way also cut the second half of a $17,901 grant to the Boy Scouts' Chester County Council, also because of discrimination against gays.
"We're absolutely devastated by this," said David H. Lipson Jr., Cradle of Liberty's board chairman. "We met with United Way. We told them clearly that we're trying to bring about change. It's evolutionary rather than revolutionary."
The United Way had been working with Cradle of Liberty representatives for two years on the issue of discrimination against gays. The United Way has a policy of nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation and does not provide funds to organizations that discriminate.
The Boy Scouts of America won a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2000 that upheld the group's decision to fire an openly gay scout leader.
Since that time, the United Way has targeted its Boy Scouts grant money exclusively for the scouts' Learning for Life Program, which was organized in the schools. Anyone could participate.
In its public statement released after the announcement of the funding cut, the United Way said it had "determined that there was not sufficient organizational separation between the Learning for Life program and the overall Boy Scouts organization."
Lipson, however, mourned the loss of the program for inner-city children.
"It's character-building training for kids, how to be a better citizen," Lipson said. "I don't know how we're going to do this. The program cost $600,000 a year, and United Way gave us $400,000."
Jennifer Hathaway, spokeswoman for United Way, said yesterday that the response to the agency's move had been low-key, partially because United Way president Christine James-Brown had spoken to many people in the community before the decision was made.
"The corporations locally said this was aligned with our policies of nondiscrimination," Hathaway said.
The Cradle of Liberty Council voted unanimously in May to adopt an antidiscrimination policy regarding sexual orientation. The move was directly related to negotiations with United Way and was an attempt to bring the local council into compliance with United Way's nondiscrimination policies.
But when the national Boy Scouts of America organization learned of the local council's decision, it immediately threatened to revoke the Cradle of Liberty Council's charter and to replace the board.
The local council succumbed to the pressure and ousted a South Philadelphia Life Scout, Gregory Lattera, who announced he was gay.
"The irony is that we are a council that is working to bring about change in the Boy Scouts," Lipson said. "It can't be done in a day. We've learned that."
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Finally, you could call your local Council and ask where in your particular area there is a Boy Scout Troop, Cub Scout Pack, or Venture Crew. You could give them money, or goods, or services. You could even give them your time and expertise, which they need more than money, I can assure you.
United Way felt the sting as others followed my example. The donation forms and procedures were changed to allow specification of exactly the organization that is supposed to receive your donation. I still don't trust United Way. I still rip and write.
Do you want to play that game? Fine. Let's defund all the special items that cater to gay/lesbian/bisexual/transexual organizations and people. It comes out my taxes and I object.
The property was a gift to the city. The city didn't pay for it. The funds are going from the BSA to the city, not the other way around, to the tune of millions of dollars in the past in capital improvements and maintenance and staffing expense, and another $1.7 million now being put into the property that other organizations as well as the BSA use. Now the city wants to take that, apparently without compensation.
Which is why the BSA does not ban homosexuals on the basis of a fear of pedophilia. They ban homosexuals who make an open declaration of their sexual preference because the majority of their sponsoring organizations believe homosexuality to be immoral, and that avowed homosexuals thus give a poor moral example to the youth.
The BSA mailing lists are not available to anyone. For any money. And it's been offered, believe me, especially by the outdoor equipment manufacturers, etc. Also, it is against BSA policy for their members to engage in political activities while in uniform or otherwise representing the BSA.
The last time I checked, the UW in my city still supported our local BSA chapter.
By giving to any UW chapter you are supporting the homosexual agenda. Every chapter gives a small percentage to the national org which uses that money to raise funds for several homosexual organizations.
So the end result is that UW taxes your contribution to the BSA in order to fundraise for perversion. You are far better off praying for the end of the UW and donating directly to the charity of your choice. (BSA or some other Godly charity)
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