Boys’ Life 2012 Reading Contest – Last Chance!
From Boys' Life website:
Write a one-page report titled “The Best Book I Read This Year” and enter it in the Boys’ Life 2012 “Say Yes to Reading!” contest.
The book can be fiction or nonfiction. But the report has to be in your own words — 500 words tops. Enter in one of these three age categories:
8 years old and younger
9 and 10 years old
11 years old and older
First-place winners in each age category will receive a $100 gift certificate good for any product in the Boy Scouts official retail catalog. Second-place winners will receive a $75 gift certificate, and third-place winners a $50 certificate.
Everyone who enters will get a free patch like the one on this page. (And, yes, the patch is a temporary insignia, so it can be worn on the Boy Scout uniform shirt, on the right pocket. Proudly display it there or anywhere!) In coming years, you’ll have the opportunity to earn different patches.
The contest is open to all Boys’ Life readers. Be sure to include your name, address, age and grade in school on the entry.
Send your report, along with a business-size, self-addressed, stamped envelope, to:
Boys’ Life Reading Contest
S306
P.O. Box 152079
Irving, TX 75015-2079
Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2012 and must include entry information and a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Click here to read the winning essays in the 2011 contest.
Happy Holidays From the National Key 3!
The BSA’s top three professional and volunteer leaders have created a special holiday greeting …
Thoughts and Prayers
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected in the shooting in Connecticut. We are heartbroken about this terrible tragedy and are very saddened to share that the Scouting family has been struck. Following is a message from our Chief Scout Executive on the tragedy and how you can help.
We are all struggling to come to grips with the tragic school shooting in Connecticut. I have the sad responsibility to report that this tragedy has also struck within the Scouting family.
We’ve been informed two of the young victims, 7-year-old Chase Kowalski and 6-year-old Benjamin Wheeler, were new Tiger Cub Scouts with Pack 170 in the Connecticut Yankee Council. In addition, three of the victims were siblings of other boys in Pack 170. Victoria Soto, one of the hero teachers, was an Explorer as a youth.
Please join me in remembering these victims and families in your prayers.
We have been in touch with council leadership. The National Council is offering any support possible during this difficult time.
Working with the leadership of Pack 170, the Connecticut Yankee Council has established a memorial fund in support of the five families. If interested, donations, cards, and letters can be sent to the Pack 170 Memorial Fund, c/o Connecticut Yankee Council, P.O. Box 32, Milford, CT 06460
God bless everyone as we take a step back and think about the safety and well-being of our own families and loved ones in the midst of this national time of mourning.
- Wayne Brock, Chief Scout Executive, The Boy Scouts of America
Scouting for Food
Hello Pack 1776,
Our pack did a great job covering all the neighborhoods assigned to us. We didn't collect as much food as we did last year, but certainly enough to make a difference.
Den leaders, please let Ammy know how many scouts participated from your den so that she can order patches.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Anil
Scouting for Food Chair
A Message From the Chief Scout Executive
To: All Scouts and Scouters,
By Wayne Brock, BSA Chief Scout Executive
As you can imagine, a number of our councils in the Northeast are still struggling mightily to recover from the devastation left behind by Hurricane Sandy. And a Nor’easter is bringing even more weather damage to the region this week with snowfall and other hazardous conditions.
Reports are still coming in concerning any injuries to our people and damage to BSA facilities, and the National Office stands ready to assist in any way we can. We ask you to join us in keeping the councils in this stricken area in your thoughts and prayers. They have a long road ahead of them to restore their homes and property as well as their programs to support our Scouts.
Many of you have asked how you can help. For any neighboring councils that have the people and resources to lend a hand with transportation, supplies, or other immediate needs, we ask that you work through Jim Hans, associate regional director/support for the Northeast Region, to coordinate your relief assistance. For councils in other parts of the country, we believe monetary assistance would be the most valuable resource you could provide at this time.
The worst damage seems to be in several council camps where many trees are down and some have destroyed buildings. Some council offices have had water damage and several staff members have experienced damage to their personal property. Many Scouts and units have probably lost camping gear, uniforms, trailers and other supplies. If you would like to make a donation to aid councils recovering from Hurricane Sandy, please go to the BSA Disaster Relief Fund page for instructions.
Meanwhile, we have already seen tremendous examples of how our commitment to serve others is rising to this occasion. Here are just two examples of many Scout troops that are responding with service. Boy Scout Troop 683 in Pamlico County, North Carolina is establishing drop-off locations for the public to donate non-perishable food, water, and clothing to Sandy victims. And in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Scouts from Troops 109 and 1910 – many who experienced problems of their own from Sandy’s wrath – have assisted the National Guard with people who have lost power and are out of their homes.
I am very proud of how these Scouts and others have volunteered to assist so many people in need. Let’s all muster whatever support we can to assist our people through this difficult time.
One Oath and Law
On Oct. 17, the BSA’s Executive Board approved a resolution to use the Scout Oath and Scout Law in the Cub Scout and Venturing programs. Specifically, the changes approved are as follows:
Cub Scouts:
- Adopt the Scout Oath and Scout Law for use in the Cub Scout program, retiring the Cub Scout Promise.
- Revise the Core Values of Cub Scouts to align exactly with the 12 points of the Scout Law.
- Retire the Law of the Pack, while maintaining the concept of “Akela” as leader.
- Maintain the current Cub Scout motto, sign, salute, and handshake.
Venturing:
- Retire the Venturing Oath, Code, sign, and salute .
- Adopt the Scout Oath, Scout Law, Scout sign, and Scout salute.
- Engage the task force and National Youth Cabinet to determine whether Venturing should have a differentiating motto/slogan or adopt “Be Prepared.”
These changes will become effective with the release of youth handbooks and leader aids supporting this and other changes related to Strategic Plan Goal 411, approximately Jan. 1, 2014, for Venturing-related changes and May 15, 2015, for Cub Scout- and Boy Scout-related changes. Changes to publications, websites, and other materials should NOT be initiated based on this article. Those will be handled based on the previously stated timing and will be initiated by the task forces working on the respective programs.
Shown below are copies of the board resolution and a document addressing common questions and answers. Additional questions or requests for more information may be directed to [email protected].
Resources:
BSA Prepaid Discover Card Now Available!
The Boy Scouts of America Discover® prepaid card is now available!
With the Scout prepaid card, parents will be teaching their Scout how to manage money wisely. This is NOT a credit card, but a prepaid, reloadable card that can be replenished from any bank account. It's a great way for Scouts to manage their daily spending, and it's safer and more convenient than carrying cash. A lot of parents already know what they by using the best credit cards to build credit, it helps them out in the future when it comes to interest rates and loans. Now, they are simply teaching their kids the same thing with this prepaid card and hopefully instilling the importance of money management.
In case you were not already aware, put simply, a prepaid debit card is an alternative banking card that only lets you spend the money you load onto the card. Moreover, prepaid cards offer less risk of overspending than credit cards. It is surprisingly easy to overspend with traditional payment cards.
Most shoppers prefer tools to guide them towards better spending decisions and prepaid cards naturally limit spending to no more than the card balance. Prepaid cards are therefore a good option for people that struggle with their personal finances or for people that are living with debts. You can learn more about some of the different ways to manage your personal finances when living with debts by heading to the CreditAssociates website.
Correspondingly, with the Scout prepaid card, Scouts will show their support of our iconic organization while learning important lessons of money management. Get your Scout a BSA Discover prepaid card today by clicking on the "order now" button at www.ScoutsAreThrifty.com.
Also, be on the lookout for more information regarding the new Boy Scouts of America credit card. In addition to all of the existing rewards and benefits Discover offers, this card will offer a Scout rewards section where cardholders may donate their points to a council or purchase Scout shop products with their points.
This card will be available on Nov. 15 for anyone to apply, so visit www.BoyScoutCreditCard.com and stay tuned for additional information as this date approaches.
BSA Open Letter to Parents
September 17, 2012
Dear Scouting Parent,
We recognize you have entrusted to Scouting the development and safety of your child. We are honored by your faith in this organization and want you to know these are top priorities.
In this period of heightened awareness about youth safety, we want to share with you Scouting’s many important programs, policies, and procedures that help protect our members.
We are committed to consistently strengthening and enhancing our Youth Protection measures, and in recent decades, have expanded our programs significantly as more information and new techniques and technologies have become available to us. Recently, experts in youth safety and the media have acknowledged the strength of our Youth Protection programs in place today:
- “The Boy Scouts of America is one group advocates say has gone farthest to institute such measures to safeguard kids.” (MSNBC, November 2011)
- “The Scouts’ current prevention policies are considered state of the art and several independent child-protection experts told The Associated Press that the Scouts—though buffeted in the past by many abuse-related lawsuits—are now considered a leader in combating sexual abuse. ‘The Boy Scouts have the most advanced policies and training,’ said Victor Vieth, a former prosecutor who heads the National Child Protection Training Center in Minnesota.” (Associated Press, January 2012.
- While we continuously evaluate and strengthen our Youth Protection programs, we recognize that abuse can happen anywhere, even in Scouting. You may have heard recent news surrounding the release of certain Ineligible Volunteer Files. BSA Ineligible Volunteer Files, still in use today, help keep people deemed to be unfit leaders out of Scouting. Still, we believe constant vigilance is the best protection. In Scouting, we tell everyone involved with our programs that “Youth protection begins with you.”™ That means that each of us has a role to play in keeping kids safe.
We want to ensure that you are aware of our Youth Protection programs, policies, and procedures, so you know what to expect of our organization. Our safeguards include the following:
- All volunteers must complete a rigorous application and screening process before joining Scouting. As part of this requirement, applicants must provide references and submit to a national criminal background check. We also verify that our organization has not received any prior allegations of misconduct on the volunteer’s part by checking names in our Ineligible Volunteer Files. Our goal is to ensure that all adult volunteers represent the values and character outlined in the Scout Oath and Scout Law and are good leaders for your child.
- All volunteers are required to complete Youth Protection training and must renew the training every two years. This training is accessible to the general public online at www.Scouting.org, under the Youth Protection tab. Please review the training, as it provides important information about detecting and preventing abuse, no matter where it may occur.
- Scouting’s two-deep leadership policy requires at least two adults to be present for all Scouting activities. No youth should ever be alone with a Scout leader for any reason.
- Every Boy Scout and Cub Scout handbook includes a pamphlet to help parents teach their children how to recognize, resist, and report abuse. If you haven’t done so already, please immediately review and discuss this information with your child. A copy of the pamphlet and other youth-oriented literature is available under the Youth Protection tab on our website.
- All Scouting activities are open to parents, and we encourage families to enjoy Scouting together.
- Anyone suspected of inappropriate behavior will be immediately and permanently banned from Scouting. If you ever have any concerns about your child’s safety, please contact the BSA immediately through your local council. You can find the contact information by typing “Local Council Locator” into the search bar on our website.
- Internationally recognized child abuse prevention expert and former law enforcement professional Mike Johnson today leads Scouting’s Youth Protection program . Johnson, formerly a police detective investigating child abuse, working in close coordination with other experts in law enforcement, psychology, and other disciplines, is building upon these and other existing policies to further enhance Scouting’s safety, educational, and training programs.
These measures are by no means the full extent of our efforts, but given the media attention youth-serving organizations including Scouting have recently received, we wanted to share some of the most important aspects of our program. Additional information and resources can be accessed by visiting www.Scouting.org and clicking on the Youth Protection tab.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your local Scout executive. Thanks for all you do to support Scouting and help us keep kids safe.
Sincerely,
Wayne Brock
Chief Scout Executive
Boy Scouts of America
Office Depot Discount for Scouters
The Office Depot is providing BSA members with a discount card for in-store shopping on office supplies (including Copy & Print Depot™ services, but excluding electronics and already discounted items). Members get a 10% discount off of store retail pricing.
Please note that if an Office Depot store has a better discounted price, you can use it or the BSA discount but not both. If you are planning on making a purchase, please make sure you have your BSA membership card with you.
Click here to download your discount card.
One Oath and Law Proposed for All BSA Programs
The BSA national volunteer committee, Team 411, is reviewing BSA advancement for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. They have recommended alignment of one Oath & Law (Boy Scout versions) for all programs. The result, if approved, would be elimination of the Cub Scout Promise and Law of the Pack by 2015. Learn more about this change here.
