The Choctaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America will host its 11th-annual Eagle Club Recognition Breakfast at 7 a.m. Thursday at Mississippi State University Meridian’s Kahlmus Center.

Former New Orleans Saints and Ole Miss running back Deuce McAllister, a member of the Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV team, will serve as the event’s keynote speaker.

The event jump-starts the new year in Scouting, as well as the 2019 Friends of Scouting Campaign, which brings in nearly $260,000 every year for the Choctaw Area Council’s programs. 

Last year’s breakfast attracted an estimated 450 people. 

“It really is an event that people don’t want to miss,” said Ken Kercheval, executive director for the Choctaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. “It’s a who’s who. If you’re a new person in town, it’s the place to go network. This community just supports Scouting so much. I think it does matter that we get a good speaker, but I think if we had a speaker who didn’t have the name recognition, people would still show up. But it is great to have somebody who has a local touch, and who has accomplished great things.”

For more information, contact Kercheval by phone at 601-527-7464, or via e-mail at ken.kercheval@scouting.org. You may also call the Council Office at 601-693-6757. Visit our web page at www.cacbsa.org.