Scouting America volunteer awarded for years leading summer camps and addressing youth safety

As a Scouting America volunteer, Dolly Olson has helped countless teenagers achieve the high rank of Eagle Scout.

The youngest scout she ever saw accomplish the top rank was a 13-year-old boy.

“(His) interview was amazing, absolutely mind blowing … the maturity of this 13 year old, his project, his insights on where scouting was going to take him, and the confidence it had given him was just memorable, truly memorable” Olson said.

For over 40 years, Olson, a longtime Salem resident, has volunteered with Scouting America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, in many different roles.

On Feb. 26, Olson found out she received the region’s top scouting award, the Silver Antelope. After getting the call, she marked the day in her calendar with a note that reads “OMG I’m a Silver Antelope.”

The Silver Antelope recognizes standout leadership and service in each of the organization’s service territories around the U.S. and a few other countries. Council Service Territory 1, which Olson is part of, includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Alaska, Hawaii and parts of California and Wyoming.

“This nomination in particular is something I never, never thought would be associated with my name. That happens to other people in a different tier of life,” Olson said.

Olson, who was previously nominated for the Silver Beaver, a council-level award, said she doesn’t know who nominated her for this award but is extremely humbled being among the country’s 31 Silver Antelope recipients.

In May, Olson will fly to Orlando to receive the award at a national meeting.

“How did I get to this place?” she remembers thinking after finding out.

Volunteer journey

Olson started volunteering with Scouting America in the early 1980s when her two sons were young cub scouts.

She jumped right in to volunteering as a summer camp director, helping pick and run its programs.

Around 1989, Olson became a unit commissioner in the Cascade Pacific Council, which spans from Sweet Home to Longview, Washington and from the Oregon Coast to past the Cascade Mountains.

As commissioner, she was a liaison to young scout units around Salem, checking in and keeping them informed.

“If I can receive that information and take it to them, then they won’t miss out on opportunities for training or camp, things that are going to help their unit do better, help their kids succeed and achieve. And who doesn’t need that?” she said.

After being a unit commissioner, Olson continued climbing as a volunteer. She went on to be a commissioner for over 150 units in the southern Willamette Valley, working with youth in the Salem-Keizer and Dallas School Districts.

Olson soon became a commissioner at the council level, overseeing more units across a much larger area than her sons’ units.

“I, Duane’s mom, would have never thought of being a council commissioner and sitting on the council board of directors,” Olson said. Duane is her older son who continues to be involved in Scouting America in the Seattle area.

Olson currently has three volunteer positions, and has no plans to slow down.

She is the territory’s membership lead and the Pacific Cascade Council’s vice president of membership and safeguarding youth lead. She works on supporting units, starting new ones and recruiting parents and guardians to volunteer.

As the council’s safeguarding youth lead, Olson works on prioritizing youth safety and organizing training for leaders on spotting and reporting troubling behavior, whether it’s signs of bullying or abuse.

Although youth safety has been a priority throughout the organization’s history, it became a larger issue following lawsuits filed against Boy Scouts of America in the 2010s alleging sexual abuse by people in the organization. Over several years, thousands of men said they were sexually abused as children by troop leaders, according to reporting by Reuters.

“It became a sign that we need to step up our game, and when youth protection became mandatory, I think that sent a message that you can’t hide in our program, because our people have to have this training. They will see you, they will report you, we will find out,” Olson said.

Since 2010, all leaders in the organization are required to complete youth safety training which teaches them how to identify behaviors in children and adolescents that point to dangerous situations.

In recent years, Olson said Scouting America and the local council have seen an increase in reports of concerning or suspected criminal behavior from people outside of the organization.

“The number of reports that have come, just in our council alone, from community members, not our own people, is heartening to me. It’s rolling in the right direction. The people are hearing the message,” Olson said.

Even though she’s accomplished much more than she first set out to do, Olson said she has her eye on “honing my craft” with membership initiatives throughout the territory, especially in more remote places like Alaska.

The next Olson generation is already involved in the scouts, too. One of Olson’s grandchildren is already a cub scout and another is set on having her as their “den leader,” she said.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story spelled Olson’s son’s name incorrectly. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.

Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: [email protected].

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