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PARKERSBURG -- Brad D. Smith, president of Marshall University, will be the featured speaker at the 55th annual Kootaga District of the Buckskin Council Boy Scouts of America Community Leadership Dinner on Friday, March 22.
"I want to thank Brad Smith for taking the time from his busy schedule to speak about Scouting at our Annual Leadership Dinner. He is committed to Scouting as I am. The program brings the best out of young people," said Vernon Criss, district chairman for the Kootaga District, Buckskin Council in a release.
Smith serves as the 38th president of Marshall University, a position he assumed in January 2022. He is the first alumnus in the university's 186-year history to serve as its president, receiving his bachelor's degree in business administration from Marshall and his master's degree in management from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Jimmy Asbury, dinner chair, said all proceeds support scouting programs in the Mid-Ohio Valley.
The release said scouting in the area has seen many changes over the past year but one thing that has not changed is the program's purpose of developing youth in the area and the community's commitment to support those endeavors.
"The Boy Scouts want to raise young people to be good citizens and good leaders for their community and all levels of society," Asbury said of the need for community support.
The District has a fundraising goal of $80,000 to help with programs and other expenses, including Camp Kootaga in Wirt County.
"Every week, millions of Scouts raise their hands and make a promise. It's not a pledge to an organization. It's a lifelong commitment to themselves, their families, and the community they share," Asbury said.
This year's dinner will be held at the Parkersburg Country Club and Christopher Burk will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. A reception with a cash bar will begin at 6 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. This year's dinner menu includes a choice of chicken or prime rib. Individual seating tickets are $150 and corporate tables and sponsorships are also available at five levels.
For ticket or sponsor information contact Asbury at 304-893-3708 or Criss at 304-481-0167.
The Kootaga District serves Scouts and volunteers in the following counties: Wood, Jackson, Wirt, Roane, Ritchie, and Calhoun counties in West Virginia and the communities of Belpre, Little Hocking, and Coolville in Ohio and Camp Kootaga in Walker, W.Va. Follow the Kootaga District and Camp Kootaga on Facebook.