Bob Tanaka has a long personal history with the Boy Scouts. Now the father of a 13-year-old, Tanaka serves as a scoutmaster for his son’s troop in Sacramento.

But Tanaka, 47, brings plenty of experience to his scoutmaster duties: He earned the prestigious title of Eagle Scout during his own days with the Boy Scouts.

“Scouting meant a lot to me as a youth,” Tanaka said, “and I appreciate the opportunity to serve again as an adult.”

Tanaka said he volunteers around 30 hours per week with Troop 50, which meets at the Buddhist Church of Sacramento at Riverside Boulevard and Broadway.

“I grew up in this program in the late ’70s and early ’80s,” Tanaka said, adding that scouting is a “lifetime experience” that he treasures.

Local Boy Scouts and Little League groups provide ways for fathers to volunteer, connect with and support their children.

Tanaka, a civil engineer for CalTrans, said he encourages fathers to volunteer with the scouts because “it’s very worthwhile and very rewarding.”

Bob Cardosa, a state worker, also volunteers time to help his children and other young kids. Cardosa is manager for the Land Park Pacific Little League and the father of a 9-year-old girl, Kelly, who played on the team. The last game for the season was June 8.

Cardosa, 52, coached his three other children in the past when they were younger.

He said he enjoys watching the players start at a beginning point and then later learning the game to the point where they “make a play that blows you away.”

To volunteer with local Boy Scout Troops, call 929-1417 or log onto www.beascout.org.

To learn more about the Land Park Pacific Little League, visit http://www.lppll.com/.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.