BLOUNTS CREEK — A new facility in Beaufort County is bringing the 21^st century to Boy Scouts in the East Carolina Council through technological capabilities and access to online resources and education.

Hodges Leadership Development Center was completed last month at Camp Boddie in Blounts Creek, thanks to a donation from Phil and Lisa Hodges, a couple from Bear Grass.

Phil Hodges attended Camp Boddie the first year it was opened in 1969, he said. He has served in various leadership roles in Boy Scouts over the past 20 years and is currently the troop committee chairman of Bear Grass Troop 218.

“(Phil) said he believes in scouting,” said Doug Brown Jr., scout executive and CEO of the East Carolina Council of Boy Scouts of America. “It develops young people of character and leaders, and we need more leaders and people with good character for our communities, state and nation. If this facility will help facilitate developing leaders and character, he wanted to be a part of that.”

The completion of the center will be celebrated Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony, in partnership with the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce. Hodges is set to speak at the ceremony, shedding light on his donation, which made the Center possible, according to Brown.

“(Boy Scouts) is just really important to me,” Hodges said. “I wanted to help the Boy Scouts and help the camp, in particular. There was a great need for the center there, I think, and (the East Carolina Council) sold me on that need.”

Brown said the center is an invaluable resource for scouts in the region.

With today’s technology, the facility, which is Wi-Fi capable, provides access to audio and video resources and scouts can access materials such as the Boy Scout Handbook online, according to Brown. New badges related to 21^st century technology are available for scouts to earn, Brown said. For example, scouts can access online videos that teach them how to tie various knots, which is also a part of their merit badge program.

Brown said the facility also provides a way for scouts to host leadership development courses in a classroom setting.

“We’ve got new merit badges for things like cinematography, audio/video production and other badges related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, math),” Brown said. “This has been a work in progress for a couple of years. We’re absolutely excited construction is complete, and we’re ready to cut the ribbon to let scouts start using it. We’re extremely grateful for the generosity of the Hodges family.”

Brown said the Council also wants to make the venue available to other groups in the community, such as business groups to host retreats.

For more information about the Hodges Leadership Development Center, contact the East Carolina Council of Boy Scouts of America at its Kinston office at 252-522-1521.