DIANE MAKAR MURPHY Scout leaders work miracles with special-needs troop

It has been a rough winter for Walter Wills. In November, his son Tommy, 36, who was mentally retarded, died of complications of pneumonia and a staph infection. The following month, his wife lost her fight with cancer.
But, come February, Wills is standing shoulder to shoulder with the members of his Boy Scout troop, Troop 3 at Scout Sunday. It is a special event and a special troop, and he is their committee chairman, "in charge of making sure everything runs right."
Wills is back volunteering so soon because, as he says, "That's my life and these boys need help."
Boy Scout Troop 3 is a special troop of special men. It has 12 active members, five of whom are Eagle Scouts; all of whom are special needs. Each member has mental retardation and some have a physical disability as well.
Gathering
Recently, they gathered at their normal meeting place, Western Reserve United Methodist Church, to give a special thank-you. Once a year, Troop 3 shows appreciation to the church for providing a weekly meeting space by conducting a flag ceremony and serving donuts.
Wills greeted the scouts as they trickled in, some with family members. Brandon Macias, 28, arrived first, and the oldest scout, Mickey Genevish, at 51 with graying hair, came last. The youngest scout is 18.
Troop 3 is, in some ways, a miracle worker, coaxing from its special needs members more than they or their parents ever expected. And Wills, too, is a bit of a miracle worker himself.
"Walter [Wills] came to Leonard Kirtz [School] and gave a presentation. Brandon came home with the papers," Sue Macias said. "Brandon's done a lot of growing since then. Boy Scouting was just his. He didn't have to share it with his brothers."
'Gung-ho' troop
Wills came to Troop 3 in 1979, 11 years after it was started. He had been involved in Scouts with his other sons, and wanted to find a troop for Tommy, whose mental retardation made it difficult for him to progress in a regular troop. When Wills found Troop 3, he discovered something else. That THESE scouts were "100 percent gung-ho."
"I taught a regular troop for 30 years, and they were good kids," Wills said, "but nothing like these boys."
Scouting means a lot to them. The scouts who gathered for Scout Sunday wore sashes covered in merit badges, each one earned like any other scout would earn his. Except, as Sue Macias pointed out, that it takes each of Troop 3's members a lot longer to do it. That's impressive when you see Brandon's 25 badges and Robert Nick's 32. But with each accomplishment comes pride. Tommy Wills, in fact, was buried in his scout uniform.The five members who earned their Eagle Scout rank -- Tommy, Bobby Lash, Joe Chiricosta, Timmy Gilboy and Robert Nick -- made improvements at Berlin Lake from trimming apple trees to building Wood Duck houses and benches for the campfire circle. Brandon, Wills said, is on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout as well.
Then and now
Wills is a retired Boardman schools carpenter, and when his son first joined Troop 3, he "hung back" and watched. Then Wills got more and more involved. The troop was oriented toward fun at the time, and Wills asked if he might be committee and advancement chairman, hoping that the boys could be led toward Eagle Scout.
Now, Jim Warneke is the scout master, his wife, Carol, is advancement and activities chairwoman, and Wills is committee chairman. "The parents appreciate what we do for them," Wills said.
"Some parents think their child is handicapped and can't do things. If they would come to any outing, they would see what their child can really do," Sue said. "All our scouts are getting older; we need new scouts to join."
John Way, a towering scout with a baby face and red hair, agreed. "It's amazing hanging out with these guys," he said. "You just learn everything."
Wills has been active with Boy Scouts for 54 years, meeting with them weekly, traveling with them to summer camp and on outings. And despite what challenges life puts in his way, he plans on doing it "until I die."
murphy@vindy.com