55 Years with the Boy Scouts of America: Range Resources Geologist Chuck Moyer
Boys Scouts Commissioner, Eagle Scout & Range Resources Director of Geology: Chuck Moyer
Range Resources’ Christina Colalillo, Kylie Sanders & Laural
Ziemba with Eagle Scout Alex Nemec from Fort Cherry High
School and Heritage Library Director Mary Duranti
It is a question that parents, teachers, and anyone who cares about children and teens are constantly seeking to answer: how can we help young people build character and become responsible citizens when they hit adulthood? There are many different answers of course, and different paths to success. One of those paths is Scouting.
Chuck Moyer is the Director of Geology for the Appalachia Division of Marcellus Shale driller Range Resources. As a young boy, Chuck and his brothers were very involved with the Boy Scouts, and as a teenager, Chuck went on to attain the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest honor a boy can achieve as a member of the Boy Scouts of America.
“We didn’t have GPS’s when I was a boy, we had compasses and tape measures!” says Chuck. “So, my Eagle Scout project was that I made a map of my church’s cemetery, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Wooster, Ohio. I plotted out all the gravestones, and marked the ones that were veterans, so that when people put the flags out on the graves on Veterans Day, no one would be missed.”
Currently, Chuck is helping to wrap up “Scouting for Food”, a month-long effort by Scout Troops in southwestern Pennsylvania to collect food for the Greater Washington County Food Bank. “The Scouts have been going door to door in their local neighborhoods during the month of April, but certainly, people can donate all the time, anytime, to their local food banks. There’s need every day. But if you know of a Scout or Cub troop in your neighborhood – they can help you get your donation directed to the right place.”
Chuck’s coworkers at Range Resources have also been participating in the Scouting for Food effort, raising over $1000 and filling more than twenty boxes with food. That’s on top of the $140,000 worth of funds and food that Range donated to the Food Bank last fall in partnership with WJPA, the Observer-Reporter, service company partners, and the community of Washington County.
In addition to the time he spent as a boy in Scouts, Chuck has been volunteering his time to the organization as an adult for more than 37 years.
“I started as a Scout Master in 1980 and did that for 19 years. After that I took on the role of mentor to other leaders.” Today, Chuck is the Commissioner of the Mingo Trails District in Washington County. “We have boys from Houston, Canonsburg, Washington, Burgettstown, Avella, Peters Township, and others – the areas where many Range employees live and work. We have forty units: Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs.”
In addition to supporting Chuck’s efforts with the Boy Scouts, Range Resources recently donated funds that allowed Fort Cherry High School junior Alex Nemec to complete his Eagle Scout Service Project at Heritage Library in McDonald, PA. Alex completed multiple improvement projects at the library, including a new flag pole and rope, new lights for the library sign, new library-only parking spaces as well as the addition of a handicap parking space, exterior painting and updated landscaping.
For Chuck, giving back to the Boy Scouts is a means of helping young people develop and grow into good citizens and community leaders.
“When you’re a boy, and you’re going through the program, you’re just having fun. And that’s the idea. Have a program that’s so much fun, boys don’t want to quit, and they stay in it for a long time. And while they’re in it – they think they’re just learning about first aid, and how to camp, how to cook, and how to take care of yourself. But what you’re also learning is leadership skills, physical fitness, and how to be a good citizen in the community. It’s really about building character.”
Chuck sees it as a perfect complement to what parents are trying to teach their boys today. “They want their sons to grow up right, and to have positive influences. There are so many negative influences already. So, Scouts can be a strong positive influence. And you don’t have to have special talent like kids who might excel in sports or music. Your success is measured in your own eyes.”
For More Information about local Boys Scouts of America opportunities:
Mingo Trails District, Boy Scouts of America, Laurel Highlands Council
This article is written and sponsored by Range Resources.