The Boy Scouts of America will be receiving billions in funding in an effort to keep the organization afloat as it pays off former scouts who say they were sexually abused as children.
On Thursday, bankruptcy judge Laurie Selberstein in Delaware approved $2.46 billion in funding to go to the Boy Scouts of America for bankruptcy protection following a slew of child sexual abuse claims made by former members of the organization. Many of the claims that were made accuse BSA leaders and volunteers of being involved in the sexual assault of child scouts.
AP News reports more than 80,000 men filed claims saying they were sexually abused by troop leaders when they were children.
In a statement, the organization said it was excited about the new funding, which will support the organization and reorganize its system and practices.
“We continue to be enormously grateful to the survivor community, whose bravery, patience, and willingness to share their experiences has been instrumental in the formation of this Plan,” the organization said in a statement, AP News reports. It added that the survivor’s accounts “will be ingrained in the BSA’s programming moving forward.”
The $2.46B is the trust fund to compensate survivors. It is not “going to the BSA”. It is actually coming FROM the national organization, its local councils, insurance companies, and partnering organizations. I respectfully request that you publish a correction/clarification. There are currently almost a million youth who benefit from this organization and it’s thousands of volunteer leaders. Since the founding in 1910, more than 10 million youth have developed life skills, teamwork, and a strong sense of self through the values taught in scouting. The organization is not without fault and more change is still needed. However, it remains the single largest positive youth development organization in the country and deserves to be able to continue its mission. I wish you peace and health in the days ahead.