leaders

Scouts From Across the Country Deliver the 2019 Report to the Nation Highlighting Scouting’s Unparalleled Service to Youth and Communities

March 4, 2020 by The Scouter Digest Staff

IRVING, Texas, March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — This week, 13 youth delegates from across the United States will represent the Boy Scouts of America in Washington, D.C., to present the organization’s annual Report to the Nation to top U.S. officials. The report, designated in the BSA’s congressional charter, details the impact millions of Scouts and Scouting volunteers have made throughout 2019.

This week, 13 youth delegates from across the United States are representing the Boy Scouts of America as they deliver the organization’s annual Report to the Nation, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for youth to present Scouting accomplishments to leaders in Washington D.C.

“The accomplishments and milestones achieved in 2019 reinforce the important role that Scouting plays in the lives of young people and our communities,” said Roger C. Mosby, President and CEO of the Boy Scouts of America. “From standing up to bullying to recovering hundreds of acres of wilderness after the Ute Park Fire, this past year saw millions of young people join together to improve our communities, through actions big and small. I am both inspired and optimistic about what that means for the future of the organization and, more importantly, for our nation.”

Being selected as a Report to the Nationdelegate from among approximately 2.1 million youth members is an honor for BSA youth members. The delegates were selected due to their outstanding representation of the values BSA strives to instill in our nation’s young people. Each delegate represents their communities, as well as more than 130 million youth members who have been part of the BSA and the millions who will follow. The 2019 delegation includes:

Zachary Bryant; Atlanta, Georgia
Hannah Carter; Santa Ana, California
Maya Chimal; Kennewick, Washington
Isabella Tunney; St. Paul, Minnesota
Bryan Fencl Jr.; San Diego, California
Laura Sun; San Jose, California
Keerthin Karthikeyan; Tupelo, Mississippi
Terry Hendriex; Peoria, Illinois
David Taylor; Florence, South Carolina
Jaden Jenkins; Enid, Oklahoma
Pamela Petterchak; St. Louis, Missouri
Gisselle Lugo; Massapequa, New York
Zachary Schonfeld; Bethesda, Maryland

The delegation will deliver the annual report to key members of U.S. federal government leadership. To keep track of the Report to the Nation delegates during their time in Washington, D.C., watch for daily blog posts on Bryan on Scoutingand follow Scouting magazine on Facebook and Twitter. You can also view photos updated daily on BSA’s Flickr page. The complete Report to the Nation is available online at ScoutingNewsroom.org. Highlights from the report include:

More than 150,000 young women joined Cub Scouting and Scouts BSA by the end of 2019.
Scouts provided more than 13.2 million hours of service to their communities at a value of more than $335 million (based on a national volunteer-hour value of $25.43).
A record 61,353 Scouts earned the Eagle Scout Award, beating the 2012 record. Earning the Eagle Scout rank requires the completion of an extensive service project, which resulted in more than $218 million in community service.
Nearly 900,000 Scouts attended BSA high-adventure camps in West Virginia, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Florida, as well as thousands of Scout day and summer camps.
In all, Scouts across all programs camped a total of more than 5 million nights during 2019.
Scouts earned more than 1.7 million merit badges in 138 different subjects.
The co-ed Exploring program celebrated its 70^th anniversary in 2019, marking decades of helping young people explore future careers, from law enforcement to healthcare, teaching to STEM.
For the first time in more than 50 years, the World Scout Jamboree was held in North America, where more than 40,000 attendees from more than 150 nations gathered at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.
The iconic Philmont Scout Ranch, which suffered extensive damage from the Ute Park Fire, reopened in 2019 thanks to more than 71,000 hours of service provided by hundreds of Scouts, Venturers, and volunteers. Soon after, the National High-Adventure Base welcomed more than 24,000 campers, making it Philmont’slargest summer ever.

The BSA is proud to be a part of preparing our young people for life and for leadership, and the organization looks forward to helping shape tomorrow’s leaders for many years to come.

About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®” The Scouting organization is composed of more than 2.1 million youth members between the ages of 5 and 21 and approximately 800,000 volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.Scouting.org.

SOURCE The Boy Scouts of America

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scouts-from-across-the-country-deliver-the-2019-report-to-the-nation-highlighting-scoutings-unparalleled-service-to-youth-and-communities-301015398.html

General David L. Goldfein Receives the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award

February 25, 2020 by The Scouter Digest Staff

The D.C. chapter of the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) was proud to present the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award to Gen. David L. Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, yesterday evening at the Air Force Association in Arlington, VA.

The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award is the National Eagle Scout Association’s highest recognition. The Award was established to recognize Eagle Scouts who, after 25 years or longer of having received the Eagle Scout Award, have reached the highest national level of success in their field. In addition, these recipients have demonstrated a strong record of volunteer leadership service to their community.

Many gathered in celebration of Gen. Goldfein’s accomplishment including the Honorable Barbara Barrett, Distinguished Eagle Scouts: Brigadier General Charles McGee, Michael Pocalyko, and Bray Barnes as well National Capital Area Council, BSA Cub Scouts Liam Finley of Pack 1101 and Caden Coffee of Pack 1344.

Goldfein left the Scouts with sound advice and continued a military tradition gifting them a Challenge Coin, challenging the young Scouts to pursue Eagle rank. Brig. Gen. Charles McGee, also graciously awarded Gen. Goldfein with picture of an Eagle, along with a picture of the two.

This award ceremony brought together civic-minded individuals and constituents from throughout the DMV community in an event that recognizes and celebrates the importance of Scouting in guiding and developing youth from generation to generation.

To learn more about the National Eagle Scout Association please visit https://nesa.org/ or https://www.ncacbsa.org/about-ncac/nesa/.

TUSKEGEE AIRMAN RECEIVES NCAC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

February 14, 2020 by The Scouter Digest Staff

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is CM-7-1024x768.jpg

Troop 96 of the National Capital Area Council (NCAC) today honored retired Air Force Brigadier General Charles McGee with its Lifetime Achievement award. The Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at his home in Bethesda, MD, was established in 2013 and is given in recognition of individuals whose accomplishments embody the ideals of the Scout Oath and Law.

General McGee stated, “If more people lived their lives by the Scout Oath and Law, the world would be a lot better off.”

As an active member of Boy Scouts in his youth, McGee earned the title of Distinguished Eagle Scout and received the Silver Beaver award for his outstanding service. The veteran continued to display his leadership capabilities throughout his 30-year military career, earning numerous decorations from the Bronze Star to the Hellenic Republic WWII Commemorative Medal. Most recently, McGee received the honorary promotion to Brigadier General in December 2019, which was announced last week during President Trump’s State of the Union address. The 100-year old Brigadier General McGee has had a busy couple of weeks – from his appearance presiding over the coin toss at Superbowl LIV to being recognized at the State of the Union address to a book signing ceremony this past Saturday at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum celebrating Black History month, where he was featured as part of its African American Pioneers in Aviation and Space program.

“We are extremely proud to recognize retired Brigadier General Charles McGee for his tremendous accomplishments on behalf of this nation and in the world of Scouting,” said Scout Executive Craig Poland. “Brigadier General McGee not only meets the criteria for this selective award – he more than surpasses it. The values embodied in Scouting are reflected in his daily life and work.”

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is CM-4.jpg

Born in Cleveland in 1919, McGee enlisted in the Army on October 26, 1942. Upon earning his pilot’s wings, McGee joined the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African American military pilots in the Armed Forces. During his extensive military career, he accumulated over 6,300 total hours, flew tactical missions attacking enemy airfields, and took part in top-secret rescue missions. In 2011, McGee was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.

McGee, a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Military Order of World Wars, and the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., now spends his time sharing his life experiences by speaking in support of the Black Heritage and Youth Career motivation programs.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given in recognition of a person’s noteworthy personal and/or professional accomplishments, his dedication to America and because he lives the ideals of the Scout Oath and Law. Past recipients of this award include Bill Marriott Jr., former Gov. Haley Barbour, Thomas J. Donohue, Jacob Stein and Michael Daniels.

Meet your 2020 Goshen Camp Directors!

February 4, 2020 by Goshen Scout Reservation

We are pleased to announce the team of Camp Directors for Goshen Scout Reservation 2020! If you ever have any questions about camp or the programs we provide, please visit www.GoToGoshen.org to get in touch with your camp director.

Phil Barbash, Goshen Scout Reservation Director

Phil is excited to begin his 18th summer working on staff at Goshen Scout Reservation. It will also be his 5th year as the Director of Operations. Beforehand, he worked 10 summers at Camp Bowman, with the last three as the Camp Director. He has served in various positions including Ecology Instructor, First Year Camper Director, and Camp Commissioner. He currently serves as NCAC’s Director of Camping with oversight over Goshen, Camp Snyder, Camp Airy, and Camp Wall.

Carl Trocki, Camp Bowman Director

This will be Carl’s 19th summer as a Goshen staff member, and 14th summer at Camp Bowman. Carl has experience in many different areas of camp, including: Camp Director at Bowman and Lenhok’sin, a myriad of program staff positions and even as an NCAC District Executive. When not at Goshen, Carl lives in Australia, working as a high school teacher/administrator/outdoor educator, and runs a successful watersports business at the beach. Carl is excited to return to Bowman as Camp Director for another summer, and hopes to help maintain the many traditions which have made Camp Bowman such a powerful and positive influence on so many young people.

Chris Warner, Camp Marriott Director

Chris is going on his tenth year working at Goshen. He started coming as a scout to Camp Bowman in 2008. He worked on staff at Bowman in Scoutcraft, Aquatics, and Facilities. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2015. Chris is very excited to be continuing the tremendous program that Camp Marriott offers. In the months outside of summer camp, he attends the Business school at Salisbury University.

Tom Van Patten, Camp Olmsted Director

This summer will be Tom’s 9th year on the Goshen staff and his first at Camp Olmsted! Tom previously worked at Camp Bowman as the Program Director. He also worked in several areas including Nature and Scoutcraft. He has also served on the National Camping School Ecology staff. Outside of Scouting, Tom is a recent graduate of Lycoming College and an avid birder. He resides in Montgomery County, MD and works as a cabinetmaker. Working with scouts is a deeply gratifying experience for Tom and he looks forward to positively impacting the lives of young people this summer through the methods of Scouting.

Michael Filmonchik, Camp PMI Director

This will be Michael’s 4th summer at Goshen Scout Reservation and his first as Camp Director. He has worked in areas such as scoutcraft and shooting sports and is excited to be PMI’s Camp Director this summer. He loves Goshen Scout Reservation and values the everlasting experience it provides to scouts. When Michael is not at Goshen he is enrolled in the Masters of Teaching program at VCU. Michael attended PMI as a scout and is very excited to continue the legacy that made him fall in love with Scouting.

Richard Holtslander, Camp Ross Director

Richard attended Ross as a scout, and joined the Camp Ross Staff as early as he could. Since Richard’s first Summer in 2011 he has worked in various positions at camp, learning what it means to be part of the Ross Staff. This will be Richard’s tenth Summer working at Ross and first Summer as Camp Director. When Richard is not at camp he attends Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and is studying for a Bachelors in Mathematics with a Minor in Environmental Science. Richard is excited for the new challenges the position will bring, and is looking forward to working with Scouts to have a great Summer and introduction to Scouting!

Griffin Linehan, Lenhok’sin High Adventure Director

This will be Griff’s 3rd year at Lenhok’sin. He has worked at BSA camps of all sorts since he was 13 years old. He has specifically worked at a lot of trek based camps and interpretive camps in leadership roles. Outside of camp, Griff teaches seventh grade enriched science. He is currently working on his Doctorate for Educational Policy, Measurement, & Evaluation. He is looking forward to working hard with the staff and providing a quality program this summer.

Learn more about our two Webelos Camps, three Scouts BSA & Venturing Camps, and Lenhok’sin High Adventure and all the adventures they have to offer on our website at www.gotogoshen.org.

NCAC Announces 2020 Silver Beaver Class

January 29, 2020 by The Scouter Digest Staff

The National Capital Area Council (NCAC), Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is happy to announce the 2020 Class of Silver Beavers. The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered adult leaders who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council.

The Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self-sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service. Members of this year’s class are:

Class Honoree: Julia Mae-Shen Lesko

Joshua P. Batten

William Bowerman IV

Kevin Patrick Brendel

Hugh David Carmichael

John T. Colwell, III

Theresa Garcia-Parks

Kenneth W. Gaul

G. Keith Gray

Christian Sean Griggs

James Hardter

William Stoll Hemsley

John Arthur Herbig

Charles Hochstein

John Howlin

Howard Joel Lichtman

Paul MacDonald

Stanley L. Mushaw

Bradford Netting Scales

William Totten

Hector D. Uranga-Urias

John Robert Wilkinson

Andrew D. Willis

NCAC invites you to join them in celebrating the years of dedication performed by these great volunteers. The Council Court of Honor is set for Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 7:30pm.

To register to attend, please visit: www.NCACBSA.org/courtofhonor

2020 Potomac District Klondike Derby

January 27, 2020 by ROBERT SNIP

Another Potomac District Klondike Derby is in the books. For Troop 447 from Rockville, Potomac District, this will be one to remember. Not for the heavy rain on Friday which soaked most of the tents and even some sleeping bags and clothes, not for the muddy field and falling temperatures, not for the close to freezing temperature on Saturday night, but for an entire year of preparing for this event paying off beyond expectation.

The Gravediggers team, led by ASPL Bryson, won 1st place overall, ultimately decided by them earning 1st place in the Dutch oven dessert contest. The Roadkill team, led by SPL Vincent earned 2nd place overall and Patrol Leader Austin of the Gravediggers team won the Klondike Derby Patch design competition. Troop 447 also had no less than 3 skits approved to be featured at the camp fire, with fantastic responses from the estimated 1,000 strong audience.

More important than all these accolades, the Scouts from Troop 447 learned what hard work on Scout skills throughout the year, respect for each other and other Troops, and working as a team can accomplish. At the Klondike Derby, points are awarded per station not only for the skills, but also for teamwork, respect and Scout spirit. All these qualities should be found in our Scouts, and in our Scouters.

As a first year Scoutmaster, I am beyond proud that “my” Scouts, performed so well, encouraging each other, helping each other and working together on that common goal; “to do my best”. The Troop’s PLC, in their annual planning meeting, set a solid foundation for the Klondike Derby, by scheduling Scout skills in the weekly meetings, combined with more Klondike specific meetings leading up to the event, with senior Scouts helping younger Scouts to master various skills. What more could I ask for?

A huge shout out to first time Potomac District Klondike Derby Director Steve Salaj and his team of about 200 volunteers, for a fantastic organization of this event hosting over 1,000 Scouts and Scouters from the National Capital Area Council.