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PACK 13 CUB SCOUTS

BENNINGTON, NE
 

PLEASE DO NOT JOIN PACK 13!

 

Pack 13 removed a 9-year-old Cub Scout who had been a member for over two years.

 

Did he misbehave? No.
Was he inactive? No.
Did he fail to pay dues? No.
Did he refuse to fundraise? No — he was the TOP popcorn seller in the Pack.

So why was he kicked out?

 

His mother raised concerns—professionally and through the chain of command—about questionable spending and bylaw violations by Pack leadership.

 

The mother contacted the Unit Commissioner of Pack 13 and reported the issues. After following the Unit Commissioner's written advice, the mother was removed from her volunteer role by Pack Leaders: Laura N. White, Robert Myers, and Mark Sukraw. When she complained about retaliation, Laura N. White, Robert Myers, and Mark Sukraw removed her entire family from Pack 13, including her husband (a Den Leader) and their 9-year-old child. None of them seemed to care that she was following the written advice of Pack 13's Unit Commissioner (who did not step in to help her). 

 

The violating of Pack 13 Bylaws by these people is troubling considering that Laura N. White works as a compliance officer at a financial firm in Omaha and Robert Myers works in local law enforcement. Furthermore, it is troubling the Mark Sukraw, a Millard teacher, would support this treatment of a child.

 

The impact on the child was immeasurable. At school, other Cub Scouts who were in his Pack asked him what he did to get “kicked out,” making it clear he was being blamed by his peers.

 

The parents turned to the leaders at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bennington for help. St. John's is Pack 13's "chartering organization," meaning that they are in ultimate control of what Pack 13 is or is not allowed to do. Michael Tomjack of St. John's showed no concern about the bylaw violations, the spending issues, or the fact that the mother and her family were retaliated against for following the written advice of the Unit Commissioner.

 

Examples of questionable spending proposals by Laura N. White:

$1,500 on one American Flag and one Nebraska Flag with poles and stands. This should have cost about $300.

$2,500 for a two-hour bowling event (Pack 13 normally spends approximately $500 on similar events but Laura N. White stated that she wanted to spend more money because it would be less work for her).

 

The parents turned to the Mid-America Council, which is in charge of Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts) in the state of Nebraska. According to the CEO of the Mid-America Council, Chris Mehaffey, a Pack can remove anyone, for any reason—and it’s “not a big deal” because a child can just join another Pack. He even cited a Scout recently being removed from a Pack for having a non-traditional hair color. Most parents would probably agree that it is a big deal for a child to be formally rejected by their "Pack" and be forced to go find another group to accept them. The social and emotional harm is bad enough but what about when the child has been used to raise money for that Pack and has spent money on Pack-specific clothing?

 

If your child really wants to be a Cub Scout, please look at other Packs instead of joining Pack 13. There are many other Packs nearby (as close as Maple and 156th). Pack 13 does not show signs of improvement. A new leader of Pack 13, Ben Zaayer, recently stormed out of a meeting of parent volunteers because they gave him suggestions on how to improve the Pinewood Derby. Before storming out, he stated that he would not be listening to any suggestions and that he would do the event his way or not at all.
 

If your child is not currently in Cub Scouts, please watch the documentary, “Scouts Honor,” on Netflix before deciding.

 

The family in question volunteered hundreds of hours for Pack 13 and, in return, their reputations were damaged and their child was hurt. This website has been created to raise awareness and help prevent other families from suffering a similar experience. What if it was your child?

 

 

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