FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) – Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Shelley Moore-Capito got to meet some of the 40,000 scouts attending the 24th World Scout Jamboree. West Virginia is the second location in the U.S. to hold this two-week international event. The first was in Idaho 52 years ago.
Both Manchin and Capito said this has been a long time coming and are thrilled for the opportunities it offers everyone.
Sen. Manchin said, “having people for the first time come to the United States, but be able to see West Virginia – their first look, their first window of the USA… pretty special.”
Scouting spans roughly 170 countries, so this kind of traffic is huge for the Mountain State’s economy, but it’s more than that Sen. Capito believes. It’s an investment in the future.
“I think also this provides us, in a much greater sense, an opportunity for our American scouts to meet international scouts, to try and forge those relationships around the globe that are going to lead. They’re going to be our future leaders,” said Sen. Capito.
The Jamboree will run for the next 10 days at the Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in Glen Jean, WV.