The Tecumseh District is headquartered in Portsmouth and serves more than 800 Scouting families in Scioto and Lawrence counties in Ohio, and Greenup, Lewis and Bracken counties in Kentucky. Local volunteer leaders recently approved of her appointment.
Channell said she thinks the district already offers a great program, and said she's looking forward to being part of that.
“They already have an excellent program here, and I'm kind of walking into a great area with some great volunteers. I just hope that I can be a part of that. I just want to make sure that our program is introduced to every young boy in the area,” she said.
Channell has a bachelor's degree from Wright State University. After graduation, she served as a district executive in the Miami Valley Council of the Boy Scouts, in Dayton, where she distinguished herself by earning the Chief Scout Executive Winners Circle.
She said she also has worked as a jewelry saleswoman, and taught high school English for two years at Oak Creek Ranch School in Sedona, Ariz., and has two years of experience working with ADD/ADHD and at-risk youth grades 6-12.
Growing up in a Scouting family in Wellston, Channell said Scouting has been a guiding force in her life. While her brothers were Cub and Boy Scouts, Martha was a Girl Scout, earning the Gold Award, and later joined Explorers in 1994 (a co-ed branch of the BSA) where she also earned the Explorer Gold award.
“There's actually two co-ed branches of the Boy Scouts. One is Explorers, which is kind of a career-based program, and the other is the Venturing. It's for boys and girls age 14 to 20,” she said, adding there are - interestingly enough - no co-ed programs in the Girl Scouts.
Channell said there is some “shock” sometimes, from fathers who are surprised to find women in the Boy Scouts. But she said her role isn't as much working with the boys, but rather finding leaders for the Scouts.
Another of her job functions, she said, is to organize fundraising events.
“In December, the holiday auction will be on Channel 20 on Monday, Dec. 3. We're hoping to raise some money for that - sponsored by some good visitors and community people,” Channell said.
She said the auction will feature a lot of Ohio State items, which she hopes will sell well.
Channell has taken local residence and said she is looking forward to becoming part of the community. She asked that anyone interested in Scouting, or interested in being a Scout leader, contact her at the Simon Kenton Council in the National City Bank building, by calling (740) 354-2811, or by e-mail at mchannell@skcbsa.org.
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