Retired police chief Jeff Guth is honored by the Boy Scouts

 On May 18, the Caney Fork District of the Middle Tennessee Council for Boy Scouts of America hosted their White County Good Scout Award Luncheon at One Bank of Tennessee, in Sparta.

During the luncheon, to which many community leaders were invited, the Good Scout Award was presented to Jeff Guth, retired police chief for the city of Sparta.

Guth, a White County resident, earned the rank of Life Scout through Boy Scout Troop 278, a troop that his father founded. Guth’s early days of learning lessons of loyalty, service, and bravery carried over into adulthood and his professional career. With degrees in criminal justice and sociology and over 30 years in the field of law enforcement, Guth is a life member of both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.

Additionally, Guth works with the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization dedicated to many of the same ideals that he grew up practicing as a Boy Scout: loyalty, honor, and friendship. He also serves as the lay leader for Sparta First United Methodist Church where he acts as a liaison between the pastor and the congregation.

In recognition of a lifetime of service to community and others and in honor of his commitment to the principles taught through the Scout Law, the Caney Fork District Middle Tennessee Council Boy Scouts of America chose to honor Guth as this year’s recipient of the White County Good Scout Award, an award they hope to continue to give out annually.

The luncheon also served to highlight the district’s accomplishments for the 2020 year. Despite restrictions and precautions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Middle Tennessee Council, who states their mission is “to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the scout oath and law,” was able to reach a number of youth across the region and provide meaningful experiences for them in a time when they may have needed it most.

The council listed the following numbers as highlights from 2020:

• 17,444 youth and adults participated in Middle Tennessee Council Scouting programs.
• 272 Scouts BSA youth achieved the rank of Eagle.
• 6,103 rank advancements were achieved by Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA
• 8,660 merit badges were earned as youth learned new skills, sports, crafts, science, trades, and explored future career opportunities.
• 427 youth were able to learn, discover, question and explore while having fun and engaging hands-on STEM activities.
• Hosted their first ever Virtual Campout in which scouts throughout the Council participated at home. Reached over 10,000 people and had over 40,000 engagements
• Created “Cub Scouts at your Doorstep”, a virtual program for Cub Scouts and Cub Dayz at Boxwell. 1,019 Scouts participated in activities from home with materials and tutorial videos shipped to them and through a CDC compliant program at Boxwell.
• Created “Merit Badge Days,” a safe CDC compliant program offering for Scouts BSA youth. 1,934 Scouts came to Boxwell and earned merit badges.