Adult Scout Leaders of the Year
2012 Honoree of the Queens Federation of Churches

Deborah & Steve Adams

Deborah Adams

Debbie Adams loves kids. During her high school years and beyond, she volunteered loads of time at a school for special children where her sister was a student and spent over 20 years caring for other people’s children as a nanny/babysitter. She has been employed in schools from kindergarten to high school, and has worked with both the Boy Scouts for 6 years and the Girl Scouts for 11 years. She has over 125 hours of Girl Scout training (including camping training twice), first aid training every year, all while raising her own children.

She first joined Girl Scouts in 2001 when her daughter’s Brownie Leader left for Florida. Being promised an experienced co-leader, she happily took the position. At her first meeting it was discovered the co-leader would not be returning to the troop. At her second meeting a council representative met with the parents and claimed she would have to close the troop unless one of them stood up to take the co-leader position. That was when she met Laura, her co-leader for the next several years.

Debbie and Laura remained Brownie leaders even though their daughters both moved up to juniors. In 2006, she stepped up to being the leader for the cadet troop. By this time the number of girls and leaders at this Holy Child Jesus Girl Scout unit had grown quite a bit. She recruited several new leaders and even convinced a leader from another troop to come and lead the girls at HCJ. From 2006 to 2010, Debbie and her good friend Irene (the leader from another troop) successfully led the cadet troop, even starting a senior troop.

In 2010, with 80 girl scouts, 5 troops, 8 leaders and a large complement of parents just hanging out, there was a falling out between many of the leaders at HCJ. Debbie and Irene had then moved the older girls’ troops to another one of the buildings at HCJ. Now the girls were able to concentrate on their own projects without having to shout at one another over the din of the younger girls. The girls are much happier now and that makes the leaders happy.

Debbie has just started yet another new troop, Ambassadors. She works closely with Irene and the Senior and Cadet girls. They are planning a trip to Savannah, Georgia, the birthplace of Girl Scouting. Several of the girls have completed their Silver awards and are now considering their Gold Award Projects. They continue to run food drives for the churches’ food pantry, like they have for many years.

Now, with her daughter an Ambassador, the highest level of Girl Scouting, Debbie is not looking toward retirement from scouting. Scouting is in her blood. It runs rampant throughout her family, with her husband involved in two Boy Scout troops and her son an Eagle Scout. She could never really leave it. She will be spending the next few years guiding her daughter toward leadership, and preparing for her next role in the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Steve Adams

Steve Adam’s scouting experience began in 1998 with Our Lady of Perpetual Help’s Pack 105, as a parent going on scout outings. He knew he was hooked when he went to summer camp at Cub World for the first time. One of his more memorable events was a fishing derby at Camp Pouch; it was his first time sleeping in a lean-to.

In the spring of 2001 Steve’s son, Jeffrey, moved up to Troop 105 and Steve joined the troop with him. He became a committee member as well as the troop secretary. He went on every troop outing and was a summer camp regular. In 2005, he took Troop 105's older scouts on a week-long 50-mile trek at Ten Mile River Scout Camp.

Seeing that strong spirit of scouting in him, the Order of the Arrow invited Steve to join in 2005. He became a brotherhood member the following year, along with his son. Their membership continues to this day.

Looking for more high adventure he joined Venture Crew 96 in 2007, became a trained Venturing leader in 2008 and assistant advisor for the Crew in 2009. Steve is very influential in encouraging the youth members to participate in adventure programs such as shooting sports, backpacking, river rafting trips and snow sports.

Steve maintains his committee member position with Troop 105, as well as his position with Crew 96. He is instrumental in travel arrangements and attends meetings on a regular basis.