MC Bonner Scholar gives back to the Boy Scouts

March 16, 2009
Contact: Penny Gibbons, Office of Advancement & Community Relations
865.981.8203; penny.gibbons@maryvillecollege.edu

Joseph "Joey" Courtney exudes a volunteer spirit as he heeds the call to serve in the Boy Scouts of America, living out the Boy Scout slogan "Do a good turn daily."

Courtney, a 19-year-old sophomore at Maryville College, hails from Knoxville, Tenn. He is a Bonner Scholar who volunteers at least 40 hours per month in exchange for scholarship monies to apply toward tuition and books.

Many of those hours are spent with the Boy Scouts of Troop 188. Meeting with them at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Louisville, Courtney helps scouts fulfill various program requirements, assists with fundraising and plays sports. Currently, they are working on the three ranks for first-year scouts: tenderfoot, second class and first class.

Joseph Courtney

Brian Goad, Scoutmaster of the troop, explained that Courtney’s main role is to be a mentor and to assist the scouts as they transition from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.

"The boys can relate well to Joey because he is close to their age," Goad said. "He is good with them and they love him."

This role "has taught me how to assert myself as an adult leader," remarked Courtney – certainly vital when working with boys in grades six through eight.

Campouts are among Courtney’s favorite activities since they provide the opportunity "to teach the scouts in practical settings," he added. Over the past four years, he has worked at the Boy Scouts summer camps, teaching swimming, canoeing and geology.

Scoutmaster Goad raved about his volunteer.

"I can’t say enough about Joey," he said. "He is so patient. It is awesome to see him work with the boys, to be able to do what he does – it’s a gift, it can’t be learned. He is one of the finest examples of a future leader that I’ve had the opportunity to work with."

A veteran volunteer, a veteran scout

Courtney doesn’t recall a time when he wasn’t volunteering. While in the first grade, his mother signed up his family to work in the Funding Individual Spiritual Health (FISH) Pantry at their church, The Church of the Good Samaritan.

It must have been a good fit since he continued working at the pantry through elementary, middle and high school. He also served four years in the Key Club at Bearden High School.

"I’ve never had to seek out places to volunteer; the opportunities were always there," he remembered.

Courtney’s own Boy Scouts journey started in first grade when he joined the Cub Scouts. As an Eagle Scout in high school, he recalls a meaningful project – remodeling the FISH Pantry at church. He is quite proud of his accomplishment of constructing tables and shelves.

He attributes his continued participation in scouting to Jack Watson, his current adviser and program director at camp.

"His dedication to his work, and his overall firm, but friendly approach really benefited me," commented Courtney.

Joseph Courtney

After years of dedicated service, Courtney has been nominated as a vigil candidate in the Order of the Arrow, which is Scouting’s national honor society. A vigil nominee is the highest honor bestowed by the Order for Scouting.

According to Goad, there is a saying among Boy Scouts that one day you give back what you’ve gained by being in the program.

"What we’re getting back from Joey is just that and more," he said.

Bonner service familiar, natural

No stranger to Maryville College, Courtney frequented campus during high school, participating in Science Olympiad competitions. He also visited his sister, Megan Courtney, a 2008 MC graduate who was also a Bonner Scholar. Her example obviously made a positive impact on Courtney since he is following in her footsteps.

"Every time she came home, she would tell us about her Bonner service. She was so happy to be a Bonner. I was definitely inspired by her passion," he said. He and his sister remain close even though she lives in Washington, D.C., where she works as an AmeriCorps intern.

The Bonner program has been instrumental in helping Courtney become more active in his community, as well as enhancing his awareness of social justice issues. He has developed a strong support system among his fellow Bonner Scholars, which has eased his transition to college.

"We have bonded well and built a community," he said with a thankful tone.

One of Courtney’s most memorable Bonner experiences is last summer’s trip to Washington, D.C., to help the homeless population.

"We worked at a soup kitchen that prepared bagged lunches to take to the homeless people on the streets. It opened my eyes to who the homeless really are. It opened my eyes to the homeless in Knoxville," he reflected.

The Lost Sheep Ministry and Habitat for Humanity are also on Courtney’s volunteer résumé. He plans to revisit this passion by building Habitat homes later this year.

Majoring in chemistry, Courtney is leaning toward a career in environmental science, possibly as a "green chemist." He plans to serve in the Peace Corps or an international ministry through the church for at least a year.

Regardless of his career path, Courtney noted that continuing his education is a must. Whether it will be seminary or graduate school is still up in the air.

When asked about his personal mission, Courtney said that he closely identifies with Maryville College’s founder and first president Dr. Isaac Anderson: Do good on the largest possible scale. Courtney said his goal is to "be someone [scouts] can aspire to…to create subtle changes that will affect them down the road."

Funding now sought to endow program

During any given year, approximately 60 Maryville College students are volunteering in the community as Bonner Scholars. Weekly, these students contribute at least 600 volunteer hours to more than 25 agencies in the community. In a school year, the combined impact is nearly 17,000 hours.

Since the Bonner Scholars program was implemented at Maryville College in 1991, it is estimated that more than 250,000 hours of service have been given to local nonprofits and churches as well as programs in Africa and Latin America.

Founded and supported by the Princeton, N.J.- based Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation, the Bonner Scholars Program consists of students at 27 colleges and universities who receive substantial scholarships from the Foundation when students commit to a certain number of community service hours for each year they are in college. Money is also provided for group trips taken during summer breaks to service sites in the United States and abroad.

Last year, the Bonner Foundation announced that it would award Maryville College $4.5 million to endow the program. The endowment process includes a requirement that the College match the Bonner Foundation’s grant with $2 million – a $1 million "completion grant" that will be added to the foundation’s $4.5 million to create the Bonner Scholar Endowment, and another $1 million to establish the Bonner Operating Endowment, which will be used to support activities surrounding the Bonner Scholars Program.

The College has until Aug. 1, 2009 to raise the funds necessary for the match.

For more information on the Bonner match, contact Brandon Bruce in the Office of Advancement and Community Relations at 865.981.8191 or brandon.bruce@maryvillecollege.edu.

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state's third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2009 semester is 1,103.