Boy Scouts drop affiliation with Johnson County United Way Associated Press
February 27, 2003
The Boy Scouts of America is dropping its affiliation with the Johnson County United Way because of the United Way's anti-discrimination policy.
To remain affiliated
with the Johnson County United Way would mean we would have to compromise our core values. This is unacceptable,'' Scout Executive Ed Brandon said in a prepared statement Wednesday.
The Hawkeye Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America decided to sever its formal relationship because of controversy surrounding ''lightning rod'' issues of homosexuality and religion, Brandon said.
It
was obvious this would continue to present a forum for people to pressure the Boy Scouts and United Way. We decided to step outside of that arena,'' he said.
The Johnson County United Way last year adopted an anti-discrimination statement that prohibits affiliated agencies from discriminating on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or
age.
The Boy Scouts does not allow gay Scout leaders and asks members to sign a Declaration of Religious Intent.
Beverly Weber, executive director of the Johnson County United Way, said Boy Scouts' programming will not change and the local council still will get donor-designated funds from United Way drives. Johnson County donors usually give between $15,000 and $16,000 to the local Boy Scouts, she
said.
But the 36 affiliated agencies have the added benefit of receiving a portion of the community fund collected each year. Last year a little more than $1 million in that fund was distributed by a Citizen Review Panel, Weber said.
The Hawkeye Area Council will maintain its relationship with the United Way of East Central Iowa, which does not have an anti-discrimination statement that applies to affiliated
agencies, Brandon said. The Boy Scouts of America receives about $240,000 a year from the Cedar Rapids-based United Way, he said. | 
