Klesko to speak at 16th annual Eagle Club Breakfast
Feb. 15—Former Major League Baseball player Ryan Klesko will share his experience with community leaders from East Mississippi and West Alabama as he is set to speak at the Choctaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America's 16th Annual Eagle Club Recognition Breakfast.
The annual breakfast is set for 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22 at Faith Baptist Church, located at 5050 Highway 19.
Klesko, who was a member of the Boy Scouts America during his childhood in California, was active in the MLB from 1992 to 2007. He played as a first baseman and outfielder with the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
In the 1995 World Series against the Cleveland Indians, Klesko's three home runs for the Braves played a key part in helping his team take home the national title. He said his message to his fellow scouts is to be diligent and work toward their goals.
"Put in the effort, and you can accomplish nearly anything," he said.
The Eagle Club Recognition Breakfast marks the start of a new year for the Choctaw Area Council and kicks off the annual Friends of Scouting fundraising campaign, which is the main source of funding for local scouting activities. The Choctaw Area Council covers Lauderdale, Newton, Kemper, Clarke and Neshoba counties, as well as Choctaw County in West Alabama.
Scout Executive and CEO James Hulgan said the breakfast provides an opportunity to both update supporters of local scouting on what the organization has done in the past year and secure funding pledges for the upcoming year.
"The Eagle Club Recognition Breakfast presents a fantastic occasion for us to share updates on the positive outcomes generated by the various programs we provide in our community," Hulgan said. "Additionally, this event serves as an effective platform for the Council to secure pledges and financial contributions of $150.00 and more from both individual and corporate supporters for our main annual fundraising initiative. By adopting this strategy, we streamline the process, allowing our staff and volunteers to allocate their time and energy more efficiently to the expanding membership and programs of the Council."
In previous years, the breakfast has contributed roughly 80% of the money raised through the Friends of Scouting campaign.
This year's breakfast will be the first under Hulgan's leadership following the departure of longtime Scout Executive Ken Kercheval, who founded the event, to assume the scout executive post at the Andrew Jackson Council in Jackson.
Registration for the 16th annual Eagle Club Breakfast ends Friday. Contact Hulgan at james.hulgan@scouting.org or call 601-693-6757 for more information.
For more information about the Choctaw Area Council, ways to give or how to get involved, visit cacbsa.org/CACBSA or find them on Facebook or Instagram.
Contact Thomas Howard at thoward@themeridianstar.com
