United Way of Greater Chattanooga continues to fund the Cherokee Area Council of Boy Scouts of America.

Leading United Way volunteers representing diverse backgrounds have thoughtfully discussed a controversial national policy of the Boy Scouts of America that excludes avowed gay individuals, a policy which local Scout Councils are required to follow. Some volunteers support this policy wholeheartedly. Some object to it just as strenuously. Still others have mixed feelings about its proper place.

The majority of these volunteers, however, believe strongly that thousands of local boys - including many hard-to-reach, low-income, at-risk youth - benefit greatly from Scouting's proven record of safe, structured after-school programs that foster self-esteem, build discipline and teach personal responsibility. That belief neither endorses nor rejects the Scouts' policy in question.

Funding for the Boy Scouts in this region is part of millions that United Way will invest this year in a wide variety of programs to strengthen young persons and their families.

Donors to United Way may specify that gifts to United Way be designated in whole or in part for the Boy Scouts. Donors may also specify that no portion of their United Way contribution go to funding for the Scouts.