About John the founding member

I grew up in Troop and Post 9 in Dayton, Ohio, and earned Eagle there. Scouting is where I learned to use my hands — fire, tools, rope, cooking, fixing what broke. It also taught me things that were never on a badge list: how to keep my word, how to work next to people I did not pick, and how to finish something when it stopped being fun.

I later became a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow in Miami Lodge. In the 2010s I helped start an all-girl Cub pack in Santa Cruz. I served in the U.S. Navy. I work as an architectural designer in Reno and I still build for a living.

I live in Cold Springs now. I want our youth to have those same chances — camping, skills, leadership, and adults who expect something of them — without having to leave the valley. That is why I am working to form a co-ed Scouts BSA troop here, open to families anywhere in the North Valleys. We are not an official unit yet. First meetings are targeted for February 2027. If that sounds like your family, join the conversation.