President Awards ArrowCorps5 Shasta-Trinity Project Participants
On July 17 2008, President Bush presented the President's Volunteer Service Award to Mark Hendricks, Western Region Chief of the Order of the Arrow, Jake Wellman, national chief of the Order of the Arrow, and Alex Braden, deputy youth incident commander of the Shasta-Trinity Project.
As part of his tour of the fire-ravaged area, the president also recognized our Scouts for leading the ArrowCorps5 project at Mount Shasta with this national award. This massive effort includes 5,000 members of the OA providing more than 250,000 hours of service at five national forests. These service projects include ecosystem restoration, invasive species removal, trail construction and maintenance, bridge work, campsite improvement, erosion and weed control, and fence removal.
We are extremely excited for this recognition and what it will mean for bringing awareness to this nationally important effort. This was a great day for the Order of the Arrow and the Boy Scouts of America!
New Fee Schedule for Mataguay Scout Ranch and Camp Balboa
A task force of volunteers was formed to examine and make recommendations of fees for our camps. The task force met and conducted an analysis of competitors' prices, quality of the facilities, and their programs. The analysis was completed and taken into consideration when recommending new fees. The recommendations for new fees for the 2008 camp season for Mataguay Scout Ranch (MSR) and Camp Balboa were brought before, and approved by, the Council Budget Committee and the Board of Directors. View the New Fee Schedule that is effective July 1, 2008.
Northern Tier 2009 Contingent
The San Diego - Imperial Council High Adventure Team is organizing a council contingent for Northern Tier. This activity is intended for the scouts in a troop that may not have many, or any, high adventure activities. The contingent is being organized for 2009. Learn more about the Northern Tier contingent.
Council Website Wins National Award!
The San Diego - Imperial Council's website has been awarded the Boy Scouts of America's National President's Award for Marketing Excellence! Congratulations to our all-volunteer web team for their hard work, creativity and dedication:
Council webmasters Jerry Kalas and Danny Covell, board web advisor Bob Witt, Patty Andrews, Lon Atkinson, Jeff Barnes, Steve Boyack, Russ Christensen, Ed Dominick, Dave England, Kevin Ewers, Mike Garcia, Jeremy Grasz, Ivan Hicks, Tom Holland, Shelley Jackson, Mike Philbrook, Matt Read, Lynn Teuscher, Stan Watson, Nancy Vogel and staff advisor Russ Strenk.
A special "thank you" to Peter Puzon, our council webmaster who passed away this year. His dedication to Scouting and our website is a big reason why we were recognized with this award. He will be missed but remembered fondly.
BSA Strategic Plan ... When Tradition Meets Tomorrow
The Boy Scouts of America's Strategic Plan creates a blueprint that will serve as the foundation for our future. Titled "100 Years of Scouting, When Tradition Meets Tomorrow," the plan is centered upon five strategic pillars and measurable goals for 2006-2010 that will ensure the long-term strength of our programs. You can read the BSA National Strategic Plan at BSA PLAN.
New Cub Scout Leader Podcasts on the National BSA Website!
The new BSA "Cubcast" is an audio podcast featuring a variety of how-to and information topics for Cub Scout leaders and parents. Current topics include the Summertime Pack Award, Annual Planning, and Cubs & Bugs Galore!
You can listen to these podcasts personally or share them with your Pack committee. You can even download the .mp3 audio files directly from this page for use on your computer or digital music player. Hear the latest and greatest Cubcasts at http://www.scouting.org/filestore/xml/cubcast.xml.
New Podcasts Available on Commissioner Web Site!
National Boy Scout Commissioner Don Belcher, a member of the San Diego - Imperial Council board of directors, has taped a series of messages aimed to help our council, district and unit commissioners succeed.
Don has volunteered at all levels of Scouting. He knows the many roles commissioners play, as friends, teachers, and "emergency technicians" to their appointed units. Now, in an informal, conversational style, Don reveals how commissioners can make a difference, bringing a quality Scouting experience to more young people than ever.
You may listen to these podcasts personally, or share them with others as a training feature. Stimulate discussion by playing a subject of interest or use the entire program as a wrap-up for a better grasp of the subject. You can even download the .mp3 audio files directly from this page for use on your computer or digital music player! Visit the BSA Commissioner's Web Site for details.
New Centennial Quality Unit Awards
The new BSA Centennial Quality Awards program is designed to recognize units, districts, councils, areas, and regions in achieving excellence in providing a quality program to a growing youth population in America at all levels of the Boy Scouts of America.
To read all about the program, visit National Council's Centennial Awards webpage. Information on the new award system will be included in your 2007 recharter packet.
Recent Study Confirms Values of Scouting
A new Harris Interactive study shows that overall, Americans show a unique resiliency. During a decade in which Americans witnessed school shootings, terrorism, war, and the collapse of business ethics, they still have higher levels of satisfaction with their personal lives, American society, and the world than they did in 1995.
The Values of Americans - A Study of Ethics and Character, highlights the values held by society. The study is a follow-up to the 1995 Harris Interactive research The Values of Men and Boys in America and provides a look at the values held by youth and adults, as well as a comparison of current American values with those of 10 years ago.
Values such as family, country, personal responsibility, faith, and ethics continue to be of primary importance to Americans young and old. The study does indicate a decline among the general population in some measures of basic ethical beliefs and citizenship since 1995, but continues to show positive trends among current and former Scouts. Men who were Scouts as youth say that:
- Scouting had a positive effect on their family life at the time they were a Scout (70 percent responded this way today versus 64 percent in 1995)
- 83 percent agree that the values they learned in Scouting continue to be very important to them today
- 87 percent attribute some of their self-confidence in their work to having been a Scout
"For 95 years Scouting has developed values, character, and leadership skills in youth. The values and skills they learn help Scouts to make the most ethical, not the easiest, choice," said Roy Williams, Chief Scout Executive, BSA. "While some of the issues youth face have changed in the past 10 years, Scouting remains a relevant and positive influence to millions of Americans through exciting and challenging programs that teach moral character to today's youth."