Archive for January, 2010
Scouting Celebrations Across the Nation
The BSA centennial is just around the corner. While there are many celebrations at the national BSA level, such as the National Jamboree and National Hall of Leadership, there are plenty of other galas and events being planned separately.
Since the centennial falls on a Monday, many are holding their celebrations the following weekend. The River Trails District in Missouri is holding a “Boy Scouts of America Scout Expo” on Saturday, February 13. The event, which is free, will be held at the Saint Robert Community Center and is open to the public. Activities include a Dutch oven cooking contest, Scouting trivia, and Scouting displays. This event promises to be a lot of fun!
This celebration is a little closer to home. Troop 370 of Homosassa, Florida will hold their celebration on Monday, February 8, 2010, the same day of the centennial. Their celebration includes an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Christopher Bebow and the unveiling of their memorial plaque. Cake, always a plus, will be available with the special privilege of cutting belonging to the oldest and youngest scouts of the troop.
Some Scouts are cooking to celebrate the centennial. Boy Scout Troop 16 of Parker, Colorado are dedicating their annual Pancake Supper to BSA’s 100th birthday. Pancake Supper is a humble misnomer; Troop 16 dishes out all-you-can-eat pancakes with hash browns, sausage, and a variety of drinks. There’s even a fruit or syrup topping option! As an added benefit, every ticket purchased donates a dollar to the Eagle Scouts.
On January 9, 2010, Cape Fear Council held a council wide day of service. Cape Fear Council of Wilmington, North Carolina encouraged every Scout unit in their area to do community service on that day. Executive Doug Clevinger hopes for several thousand man-hours of service. Units who participated on that day will be recognized at their Council Recognition Banquet in late February. Cape Fear Council also plans to allow Scouts who have their Totin’ Chip cards to assist in the carving of a centennial totem pole!
In a unique collaboration with Boy Scouts of America, Dale Coyne of Dale Coyne Racing is promoting Scouting with a new BSA IndyCar. The car, number 19, will race in the IndyCar Series 2010 scheduled races (that’s 17 in total!). The BSA No. 19 car will help to promote science, technology, and math and commemorate the centennial.
Another unique celebration was located in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Partnered with Fender’s Farm, the Sequoyah Council of Johnson, TN kicked off their year long celebration of the centennial with a 7-acre corn maze. The maze is about two miles of trails with 85 points to decide “Left? or right?” The maze was opened early for Scouts exclusively and then to the public in September of 2009. The maze features a replica of the BSA’s eagle emblem at its center.
There are many other celebrations that are taking place all over the country, the world even! Boy Scouts of America has been here for five generations. Many Scout alumni comment how they believe their lives would be completely different if not for Scouting. This upcoming centennial is worthy of note; what better way than to celebrate? What is your pack/crew/etc doing to celebrate BSA’s 100th Anniversary?
“Boy Scouts of America: Today” National Photo Contest
There is a national photo contest going on in celebration of the upcoming Boy Scouts of America centennial. But this isn’t just your normal national photo contest. Winners of this photo contest will actually have their entries printed in a new book to be published in October 2010.
The book, called Boy Scouts of America: Today, is to be published by DK Publishing, Inc. DK Publishing has published many BSA books including Boy Scouts of America’s Be Prepared First Aid and the Complete Wilderness Training Manual. Their newest book will visually depict the 12 points of the Scout Law: trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. Winners will receive a copy of Boy Scouts of America: Today and a $50 gift card for official Scouting merchandise to be purchased through Scoutstuff.org or any participating Scout shop.
The Boy Scouts of America: Today photo contest began on January 12, 2010; all entries must be received by March 21, 2010. Entries must depict any or all of the 12 points of Scout law, and be representative of Scouting activities. The Scouting events pictures must have been taken within one year of the entry date. Click here to learn more about the contest and to submit your photos!
Replanting Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation
The Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation is a Boy Scout camp located just outside of Lake Wales, Florida. It serves as the largest camping and training facility owned and operated by Gulf Ridge Council. The camp’s 1,200 acres are used by Boy Scouts, Boy Scout Troops, the Order of the Arrow, and many other organizations to facilitate their activities and programs. But in 2004, three hurricanes reduced the once lush camp grounds to a miserable shell of what it once was.
In 2004, Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, and Hurricane Jeanne all passed over Flaming Arrow causing massive vegetation loss and damage to all of the structures there. Flooding became a major issue with some areas of the camp flooded for over a month. Flooding issues persisted and destroyed much of the original landscape.
Flaming Arrow staff and volunteers spent months clearing fallen trees from the paths, campsites, and program areas. Almost all of the trees and plants that existed in the flood waters died.
Click to read Gulf Ridge Council's letter of support!
The camp closed after the hurricanes, straining the camp’s already tight budget. Without the Summer Camp and other programs active in Flaming Arrow, there were no incoming funds to help offset the damage caused by the hurricanes.
Flaming Arrow has since recovered; the flooding has passed, buildings have been rebuilt, and many trees have been planted in order to repopulate the area. But the camp still remains in a dire state. The skyline is still ragged in areas once thick with pine trees. This is precisely why ClassB joined with the Arbor Day Foundation.
For every tree purchased for the BSA Centennial Forest in Flathead National Forest, ClassB will match the contribution and plant a tree in the Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation. We want nothing more than to see the rebirth of both of the storm-damaged sites. It’s our goal to plant at least 100 trees at each location, bringing Flathead back to life, and restoring the Scouts campsite to it’s original state of beauty.
Supporting the Troops, ClassB style
Bob Williams a.k.a. 'Uncle Bob'
ClassB was at it again! On Saturday, January 9, 2010, we volunteered to help Bob Williams pack and prepare care packages to send to troops stationed overseas.
The early birds arrived at Bob’s warehouse and listened to stories in his office. He told us of his experience as a sailor, how he started these successful efforts, and the luxuries of being in America.
It was an eye-opener to ponder on what my day-to-day life would be like without access to hot water or toiletries. It made me realize that my everyday conveniences were luxuries the troops yearned for while overseas. Bob, who I view as a noble man with these everyday acts of selflessness, makes a world of difference in these troops lives.
When everyone from ClassB arrived, Bob gave us the grand tour of his entire warehouse (which is a lot bigger than it appears). Bob receives donations from everywhere. He has coffee, flossers, toothbrushes, pens, paper, cookies, DVDs, candy, cigars, and even Wii consoles!
Some donated snacks
See the Wii?
Cigar Humidors
On the tour
Bob also told us that he doesn’t just send things that are donated. He makes an honest effort to get troops items they specifically ask for or what he feels they need. He has sent spotlights, flashlights, knives, and even red dot scopes. It seemed weird to me at first, but then I realized that these items were practical.
Bob told us the gifts have more of an impact than any of us know. He related a story about how a Beanie Baby saved Marines from certain death. They were trying to pass over a bridge, but there was a little girl playing in the middle with a Beanie Baby. They got out to talk to her and get her out of the way, only to realize that she was playing near a land mine. She saved their lives.
Another story Bob told us was more on the humorous side. Bob has a lot of cigar humidors in his warehouse. He sends them to the troops to give as gifts to leaders. Bob received a letter asking him to be careful about sending them; apparently, an Iraqi leader was so impressed with this gift, that he tried to give his daughter away in return. Again, the things Bob sends have more of an impact that any of us know, including Bob.
Gregg, leader of the bagger people
The cart we used to tote care bags
Sisco making boxes for the care bags
The finished boxes, ready to be shipped
After the tour, we began to make the care packages. We divided ourselves up into three groups: baggers, runners, and boxers.
Baggers, using the assembly line method, filled 1-gallon Ziploc bags with candy, tooth brushes, thank you cards, and other various items on the table. Runners went back and forth between the tables taking empty boxes to be recycled and replacing the box with either the same item, or a similar one from storage on the second floor. Boxers took the cart full of finished bags and boxed them. We fit about 25 bags into each box.
Two other groups came in to help out, which made everything a lot quicker. All-in-all, I would have to say that ClassB successfully filled 50+ boxes. That’s at least 1,250 bags, and at least 1,250 troops lives we made a difference in.
One of many 'thank you' notes Bob has. Thank you Uncle Bob!
Stickers livened up the boxes with patriotic statements
Look how fast Eddie is moving to get things done!
We made sure these bags were packed with love!
We want to thank Bob Williams for including ClassB in his efforts. While he will never turn down a helping hand for donations to the troops, what Bob really needs is help with postage. Donate to his cause here. Thank you for supporting the troops!
The Paper Trail: Todays Paper is Tomorrows Insulation
Sarah making boxes for employee work stations. Notice the recycled paper boxes!
- We save up all the paper that would normally be thrown in the garbage. This includes magazines, catalogs and phone books.
- Once we have a good amount, we take it to West Zephyrhills Elementary School where its placed in Green Fiber’s dumpster on their campus.
- Green Fiber then picks up the paper at no charge and gives credit to the school for it.
- Green Fiber takes all the paper to one of their processing plants and processes it into insulation for homes and businesses.
Green Fiber Is a company that takes waste paper and recycles it into insulation for homes & businesses across the country. Considering the U.S. being one of the largest paper consumers in the world, it’s comforting to that know in the end it will not be in a landfill.
One ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees, saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill, and saves 4,000 kW of energy. That is a lot of space and energy saved.
ClassB 2010 Tree Planting Service Project
Join ClassB® and Scouts all over the country as we plant a living legacy of Scouting’s commitment to the conservation of natural resources! Starting January 1st, 2010, make a $10 contribution to plant a tree in the BSA Centennial Forest in Flathead National Forest and ClassB® will match your contribution to plant a tree at storm-damaged Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation in Florida.
It’s our goal to plant 100 trees at each site to commemorate BSA’s 100th Anniversary!
Flathead National Forest When the 2007 Brush Creek and Skyland Fires added to existing damage from 2003 wildfires, a total of more than 322,000 acres was burned, destroying seed sources and critically harming wildlife habitat. In partnership with the Boy Scouts of America, the Arbor Day Foundation is helping plant 345,000 Douglas fir, western white pine, western larch, lodgepole pine, and Engelmann spruce to help restore wildlife habitat and protect the area watershed by lessening soil erosion and mass wasting — the downward movement of soil and rock — on steep mountainous terrain. |
Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation The camp, located five miles east of Lake Wales, is within a mile of the point at which the tracks of hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne intersected in 2004. The camp’s skyline is splintered and ragged, bare in areas once thick with stands of pines and oaks. Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation is Gulf Ridge Council’s largest camping and training facility. Activity areas at the 900-acre facility include a climbing and rappelling tower, a rifle and shotgun range and three lakes with canoeing, kayaking and scuba programs. Learn more about the Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation storm damage |
Please help replant both of these important sites!
Your $10 contribution, matched by ClassB®, will plant one tree at Flathead National Forest and a second tree at Flaming Arrow Scout Reservation. It’s our goal to plant at least 100 trees at EACH location for a total of 200 trees. Contributions can be made in your name, the name of your unit, or anonymously and will be recognized on the ClassB.com website.
You can also donate $20 directly to the Arbor Day Foundation and they will plant one tree at Flathead National Forest and ship you a second tree that you can plant locally.
