Hub City holds scouting luncheon

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Many scouts were in downtown Hattiesburg Thursday for the annual Mayor Johnny DuPree Friends of Scouting Luncheon.

This event is to help raise awareness for inner city scouting in scout reach programs.

Field director, Zach Ross said, "It helps raise the funds needed to get kids in the programs that would not possibly be able to be in the program off financial reasons. It also gives them a platform to show what they've been doing all year. It gives the scout a chance to speak to a group of people and gives them the character development opportunity. It's just a good experience for everybody. Scouting is for everybody. It can be for any kid from any walk of life. And, it's good for kids in the inner city to do scouting programs with kids from the country, because everybody can be a scout."

Ross said the Hattiesburg Boy Scout Council had about a 40% increase last year in members, which is the highest in the country.