Kaptur Announces Trailblazing Eagle Scout Kara Bolinger and Bryan Mayor Carrie Schlade as Guests for 2026 Presidential State of the Union AddressPress Release

Toledo, OH - Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) announced she will host the first female Eagle Scout in Northwest Ohio history, Kara Bolinger and Bryan Mayor Carrie M. Schlade as her guests for the Presidential State of the Union Address taking place on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026.

Kara Bolinger from Oregon, Ohio is a member of Troop 9062, and made history on January 19, 2025, becoming the first young woman in the Commodore Perry District of Northwest Ohio to earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. In doing so, she not only earned Scouting's highest honor but also earned the Four Palms and her Brotherhood in Tindeuchen Lodge 522 of the Order of the Arrow.

Mayor Carrie M. Schlade is serving her second term as Mayor of the City of Bryan, the county seat of Williams County, Ohio. First elected to Bryan City Council in 2015, Mayor Schlade has been a steadfast advocate for fiscal responsibility, community development, and civic engagement.

"In every small town and community across Northwest Ohio and throughout our nation, the strength of America is measured by neighbors serving neighbors. Leaders and trailblazers like Kara and Mayor Schlade embody that quiet, determined spirit of service - the kind that plants seeds in community gardens, mentors young people, balances city budgets responsibly, and shows up day after day for others," said Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09). When we uplift stories like theirs, we send a clear message: small town America is not forgotten. Our towns are engines of character, resilience, and opportunity. Their voices matter in our national conversation, their families deserve investment and respect, and their future will always be worth fighting for in the halls of Congress."