By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Through a collection of stories from the past four years of leading the special teams unit for the New Orleans Saints, Coach Greg McMahon discussed the value of good youth leadership Friday morning with a group of St. John Parish government, business and community leaders.

McMahon’s speech was the keynote address of a leadership breakfast at River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace in support of the Boy Scouts of America in St. John Parish.

“Boy Scout leadership from the Southeast Louisiana Council approached us with a fundraising opportunity and it was just too hard to pass up,” said Tammy Waltz, community relations coordinator for the hospital.

Throughout his 15- minute speech McMahon, a LaPlace resident since 2006, referenced a series of stories about several Saints players that embodied the core values of leadership, trust, loyalty and courage – the same values that scouting offers to those who join.

“That’s the beauty of an organization like the Boy Scouts,” McMahon said. “You get the opportunity to catch these boys at a young age so that they don’t fall into those traps that could hinder them in the future.”

Andrew Williams, district executive for the Southeast Louisiana Council’s Pelican District, said scouting is strong in the River Parishes particularly in St. John, where close to 550 youth members and 65 adult volunteers are involved in some level of scouting. He said leaders in attendance at Friday’s breakfast pledged more than $9,700 in support of scouting in the parish.