ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Boy Scouts of America made headlines over the past week, when the organization announced it will be changing it's name to Scouting America.
"We really want to reflect our commitment to serving every youth and family in our country," said Kaleen Deatherage, a Boy Scouts National Executive Board Member on Total Information A.M. "We want to give as many kids as possible the chance to build character and learn leadership through the fun, the adventure and the friendships."
The name change comes in an effort to promote more inclusivity and as the organization continues to emerge from bankruptcy along with paying out more than $2 billion to men who say they were sexually abused as scouts.
Deatherage believes the change won't alienate long time members and families who have been in scouting for years.
"We made the commitment to boys 114 years ago in scouting and now we are making same commitment for girls," said Deatherage. "We are prepared to bring the same character based leadership, same opportunities to develop values to the girls that we always brought to the boys."
The name change will be made official on Feb. 8, 2025, on the organization's 115th birthday.