Parents Question Why Hooters Sponsored Boy Scouts Camp
Denver moms are wondering why they weren’t informed that Hooters was hosting this Boy Scout day camp.
Boy Scouts and “Hooters Girls” don’t seem like a likely combination at most events. Nevertheless, a Colorado Boy Scout troop is in hot water with parents after the restaurant sponsored a crafting event for local scouts.
"It’s just the philosophies of the two organizations are polar opposites and I just don’t think they should be together," said parent Marsha Corn, according to ABC 7 Denver.
Though they weren’t wearing Hooters’ signature white tank tops and orange runner’s shorts, three Hooters Girls dressed in Hooters tees and visors volunteered at each day of the three-day crafting camp from June 26-29, where kids made wooden helicopters and birdhouses. According to a spokesman for Boy Scouts of America, Hooters had reached out to the Scouts to sponsor the event.
According to the same spokesman, “The group of trained volunteers mistakenly wore the wrong attire and it was addressed by our Council leadership.”
A Facebook post by the Denver branch of the Boy Scouts included no mention of Hooters’ involvement. An event page on the Denver Boy Scouts' website with sign-up information for the camp didn’t appear to mention the restaurant's involvement either.
“We just felt it was a little strange that they didn’t tell us,” Denver mom Michelle Kettleborough told CBS Denver. “We haven’t been ‘outraged.’ We’re not screaming and crying and actually we’ve said several times Hooters isn’t the problem. The girls aren’t the problem. They were fantastic. They were so respectful, so nice.”
Hooters Colorado initially took down photos of the volunteers at the event from their Facebook page once local media inquired about the event, but eventually re-posted photos of the Hooters Girls and scouts on July 2.
“We have opted to repost pictures due to a news story that ran this evening that was completely inaccurate! We are disappointed a good deed was portrayed in a poor light. This is our attempt to right the situation. We enjoyed volunteering our time and look forward to future events,” read the post.
“It wasn’t their clothes,” Kettleborough said. “It’s that intrinsically Hooters and Boy Scouts don’t feel like a natural fit.”