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 Jim Williams is interviewed during the 2011 Scouting for Food collection.We're passing along a story that recognizes the efforts of a key member of the council's Scouting for Food team. Jim Williams, a member of the council's Executive Board and the Chief Executive Officer of Sunset Transportation, is  profiled in the Suburban Journals for his commitment to the Scouting for Food program and fighting hunger. Williams and Sunset Transportation organized all of the transportation and logistics in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County during the last eight Scouting for Food Drives. David Steward, President, and Ron Green, Scout Executive of the Greater St. Louis Area Council, thanked Williams and his team along with  Wells Fargo Advisors and collaborating United Way agencies in a letter to the editor in the Nov. 28, 2011, edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Williams was a 2011 recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, the highest recognition a Boy Scout council can bestow on an adult volunteer leader.  Click here to read his Silver Beaver biography.
We thank Jim Williams and his team for their help and look forward to working with them on this year's Good Turn.
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Relieving boredom led Fred Brown on a journey that resulted in guiding the evolution of youth and adult training in the Greater St. Louis Area Council.
Brown was the Scoutmaster of Troop 271, chartered to Bellefontaine United Methodist Church, when he retired as a Colonel in the United States Army’s Aviation Systems Command. Two years later, Brown was asked to join the council as the Director of Training and Advancement. After more than 12 years in the position, he will retire on Feb. 1, 2012.
One of Brown’s first tasks was transitioning training resources from filmstrips to videocassettes. Over the next few years, he guided the adoption of new syllabi for both the National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) camp and Wood Badge courses. The new curricula changed the focus of both courses.
“The old syllabus was based on Scout skills,” Brown said. “It was a hands-on way to teach leadership, but it didn’t address any of the leadership concepts. The new syllabus is all about leadership concepts and has games as a method of teaching those leadership skills. It really epitomizes that Scouting is a game with a purpose.”
Adult training transitioned from a classroom setting to interactive online courses delivered through the Internet in the last decade. However, training events became even more critical for new leaders seeking insights and best methods for delivering a fun, exciting and meaningful program.
“Online training will increase the importance of the University of Scouting and Pow Wow in the future,” Brown said. “We have to build those training events into something that demonstrates the fun in Scouting. That’s how we’re going to get longevity from our adults. We need to get them past any apprehension.”
The greatest change in the last 12 years has been the growth of NYLT. No other council in the BSA comes close to the more than 400 Boy Scouts and Venturers who complete the week-long courses during summer camp. Approximately 34 percent of youth members have been involved in the council’s NYLT program. Forty-four percent of the Boy Scout troops in the Greater St. Louis Area Council have sent Scouts to the course during the last four years.
“My legacy is those Scouts out there,” Brown said. “We are so far beyond what the National Council and the rest of the BSA envisions NYLT as being … others have no concept of where we are. We are in uncharted waters.”
Have you worked with Colonel Brown on a Wood Badge, NYLT, Pow Wow or University of Scouting? You're welcome to congratulate him on his retirement and wish him well by leaving a comment below.
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| Scouts throughout our council completed the largest single-day food drive in our community and in the Boy Scouts of America on Saturday, Nov. 19. "Scouting for Food" resulted in 1.8 million canned goods and nonperishable food items to feed the hungry throughout our region.
More than 500 pantries depend on this drive for a four-month supply of food. More than 45 million cans were collected during the 27-year history of the drive.
Some media reports pointed out a decline in donations compared to last year. (The 2005 drive had a similar decline of approximatley 300,000 items, compared to 2004.) Comments on news websites stated that bags weren't distributed in some neighborhoods; others wrote that canned goods weren't picked up by Scouts.
"Scouting for Food" originated in our council as a community-wide service project in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the BSA. The BSA later adopted "Scouting for Food" as a national project. Over the years, some councils stopped executing the drive, reduced its scope or made other modificaitons. The Greater St. Louis Area Council is steadfast in its commitment to the drive. Hundreds of pantries that serve thousands of people have grown to heavily depend on "Scouting for Food" to get through the winter months.
We would like your thoughts on "Scouting for Food." Here are some questions to start the discussion:
- --Would your unit be willing to distribute and collect bags in a neighborhood other than your own?
- --Would your Scouts, parents and leaders be willing to distritube a bag or pick up a food donation after 2 p.m. on both Saturdays if they received an address by email or text message?
- --Should the council, districts and units increase its use of digital mapping software and systems to better track where bags are distributed and collected?
- --Do your Scouts, parents and leaders enjoy taking part in the drive?
--Should there be more or better coordination of the drive at the council, district and unit level? --Should coverage maps be redrawn by each geographic district on an annual basis?
Please leave a comment below as we start a conversation on this important drive.
Photo by Robert Cohen,
rcohen@post-dispatch.com
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| Two employees who served the Greater St. Louis Area Council’s camping program for a combined 70 years announced their retirements.
Mark Conley, the camp ranger at Beaumont Scout Reservation who was responsible for the horse programs, retired earlier this year after 34 years of service. Liz Woodland, camping clerk at the MacArthur Service Center, announced her retirement on Dec. 31, 2011, after 35 years.
“We sincerely appreciate the outstanding service and contributions that Mark and Liz have made to our camping programs,” said Ron Green, Scout executive. “Their effort, skills and outstanding customer service helped Scouts and leaders enjoy our outdoor programs and learn valuable lessons in leadership, character and self-reliance.”
LIZ WOODLAND
In 1977, Mary Elizabeth Woodland began a long relationship with what was known as the St. Louis Area Council. She volunteered to stuff envelopes and assist the registration department with other tasks at the council’s service center.
What will she do on Dec. 31, 2011, as she ends her 35-year career?
“I’m probably going to come back and volunteer,” said Liz. “That’s what brought me here in the first place. Two weeks later, I was working full time.”
Liz’s relationship with the Scouting community was strong before working for the council. Her brother was the aquatics director at Camp Irondale. She served as a den leader and a member of her district’s training and Roundtable staffs. She was the “first aider” as a member of the Camp May staff for eight years. She received her district’s Award of Merit and the Silver Beaver Award, the highest award a Boy Scout council can bestow on an adult volunteer leader. She is the mother of five Eagle Scouts and a daughter.
When the staff witnessed her tenacity and professionalism, they encouraged Liz to apply for a full-time position. She started in the Training Department.
“I’ve loved every minute of it,” she said. “There have been a lot of changes. But this is great place to work and we have great people.”
Throughout the decades, she assisted five directors of camping. She managed the summer camp reservation records of hundreds of units and hundreds of thousands of Scouts and leaders, along with managing reservations for all council camping facilities and activities.
“Customer service requires you to have a smile on your face,” she said. “There were times when I had to call a volunteer and change a reservation because of glitches. When I would ask them if they wouldn’t mind making a change, nine out of 10 could understand the problem and would work with you. I don’t think you would find that in other organizations. And I have received flowers, cookies and candy from so many people. None of them had to do that.”
MARK CONLEY
Volunteering also led Mark Conley to a long career with the council. Although he retired before this year’s summer camp season, he returned to volunteer with the horses in October at Beaumont Scout Reservation.
“You caught me out here working in the barn already,” Mark said during a telephone interview.
After reaching the rank of Star in Boy Scouting, he joined an Explorer post that focused on riding horses. He then led a horse program for three years at a Girl Scout summer camp. When he learned there was an opening at Beaumont Scout Reservation for a Ranger to manage the horse program, he completed an application and reported for work on Oct. 1, 1976.
“I didn’t even have to interview for the job,” Mark said. “I don’t think that would happen today. Paul Brockland, the director of camping at the time, knew me from working as a trail guide and a volunteer.”
In addition to managing the facilities at Beaumont Scout Reservation, Mark also trained and supervised the wranglers at Swift Base at S bar F Scout Ranch each summer. Helping people enjoy and understand horses and riding was his priority.
“We are customer service-oriented organization,” he said. “We meet and work with more leaders and Scouts than the district executives. Public relations must be at the forefront, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. If you wake up in a bad mood, you have to leave that attitude back at your house. Everybody has bad days, but PR is one of the most important aspects of the job.”
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| The council recently evaluated its methods, effectiveness, cost and sustainability of its communications. These reviews prompted changes in the frequency and focus of communications. The printed newsletter, The Duffle Bag, will be reduced from six to four issues each year. The annual subscription cost of $6 will remain the same. The quarterly issues will focus on four themes:
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Winter (January): Education.
Spring (April): Leadership.
Summer (July): Adventure.
Fall (October): Service.
Program information in these issues will help Scouts, parents and leaders understand the underlying concepts and principles in many activities. In the winter or Education issue, there will be content on various STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) initiatives in Scouting. The Leadership issue will focus on how Scouting is developing our future workforce to be innovative and creative. The Adventure issue will be on the physical fitness benefits of camping and the outdoors as Scouting attempts to end the epidemic of childhood obesity. The Service issue will focus on how Scouting teaches the benefits of volunteerism and on Scouting for Food, the largest single-day community service project by any Boy Scout council in the nation.
During the last decade, the number of people accessing the council’s Internet website and subscribing to its e-mail newsletter, The Digital Duffle Bag, continually grew. Paid subscriptions to the printed newsletter, The Duffle Bag, declined and advertising revenues did not keep pace with costs. Subscriptions to The Digital Duffle Bag are free and its distributed twice monthly. For the past few years, the number of subscriptions to the Digital Duffle Bag equaled or exceeded the total distribution of the printed newsletter.
Almost one million pages were viewed on the council’s website during the first nine months of this year. The most dramatic growth was in mobile devices—smart phones and tablets, such as iPads. The number of visitors using these devices to access the website increased 122 percent and the number of pages viewed increased 127 percent. The council will be shifting resources to meet the growing demand for online information and transactions. For instance, more people made reservations to attend this year’s Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow via online registration than by mail or in person.
We welcome your feedback or ideas on how communications can be improved. All are welcome to leave a comment or suggestion below. Or, contact Joe Mueller, the director of public relations, at 314-256-3030 or jmueller@stlbsa.org.
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| The Greater St. Louis Area Council continues to collaborate with many community and government organizations to provide programs for our youth members. Thousands of Scouts learn about hobbies, careers, emergency preparedness and hundreds of other topics by completing requirements for various badges.
The council's Citizenship In The Nation merit badge center at the U.S.District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (the Eagleton Courthouse) was featured on www.uscourts.gov, the official site for the Judicial Branch of the United States Government.
“Our interactive exhibits highlight
the executive and legislative branches,
with a special focus on the judicial
branch,” said Rachel Marshall, a merit badge counselor and the public education and
community outreach
administrator at the court
who directs the Learning
Center’s programs in the
Eagleton Courthouse. “Even if
they’ve had social studies in school,
they’re usually surprised at how much
they don’t know about how their
government is structured.” We appreciate Ms. Marshall's assistance and all of the efforts of our community organizations that provide learning opportunities for our Scouts. Did your Scouts have a great experience at one of our merit badge centers? Do you have an idea for a new merit badge center? Feel free to leave a comment below. P.S.: During the last two months, "merit badge," "merit badges" and "merit badge university" were among the top 10 most-entered words or terms on our website search engine. 
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| The following post is from a Scoutmaster in the New Horizons District. He asked that his name not be included. What do you think? You're welcome to leave your thoughts in the comments field.
The danger of advancements being put before the Scout Oath
I fear that as parents we are in danger of Scouting having a bad effect on our youth.
In the simplest terms: Advancements over the Scout Oath.
The Scout Oath talks about being helpful and a good citizen. But, from what I have seen, the main focus for parents--and now Scouts--is not the Oath but what they can get in advancements from it. It is a focus on the immediate--the advancements--and not the bigger picture of being a good person to self and others that the Scout Oath and Promise supports. Most of our time is spent talking about how we can get advancements, not about doing good things together and growing to be good people and citizens as the Oath suggests.
An example: A person asks the Scouts and parents, "There is a group that needs our help in raising money for diabetes research, do you think we should help them?" The Scouts think for a second and then a parent asks, "will the boys get community service credits for participating?" The Scout then repeats that question. So now it is not about being a good person to others and self (the Scout Oath), but about, "What can I get out of this?"
I think we are creating a dangerous environment when we, as parents, do this. What are we saying and teaching? I think we are saying, one, that Scouting is only about getting credits and not about doing good things as the Scout Oath suggests. Two, our kids should not do anything for anyone unless they get credit for it. So will they ever offer to help their community without the thought entering their mind about what they will get for it?
My son came to me last night and said how much more he liked the WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) leadership group at school over Scouting. I asked why. He said, "WEB is about helping people and having fun with the other kids who are wanting to do the same thing." He then added, "All I hear in Scouts is how much work it is with their parents pushing them and it's not much fun." In the broad context of youth experiences, which is the better experience? I think the WEB program experience is closer to the Scout Oath than the Scout experience.
I asked Scouts to do something and their response is, "What will you give me or what credit will I get?" Initially, I find it rude. Then, I think about where this is coming from. It may just be coming from us, the parents.
So what can we do? I suggest we focus on doing good things for the "right" reasons. This means that the troop (Scouts and parents) select what and how we do things based on the Scout Oath versus the advancements Scouts can get. The advancements can be personal development to learn skills that will help the Scout better live out the Scout Oath.
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| Congratulations to Eagle Scout Jake Simone and his family for being featured in a column by Susan Weich in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, "Clayton siblings leading teen volunteer effort on 9/11."
Learn more about their efforts for Sunday's event at www.stlouisvolunteen.com.
There will be thousands of memorial services and projects taking place on Sunday. Scouts, parents and leaders who participate can purchase a special patch to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 as part of Scout Surge 9.11. The program is a collaboration with The Flag of Honor/Flag of Heroes Project. The program encourages Scouts to serve in their communities from Sept. 1-10, 2011, using suggested service projects and posting them to the web and social media channels. On September 11, Scouts are encouraged to gather as groups and invite non-Scout friends to watch the movie, New York Says Thank You, which tells the story of the first responders to the New York City terrorist attacks and which features Scouts from the Little Sioux tornado tragedy.
Visit www.scoutsurge911.org for additional details, plus planning and project ideas.
Below is the patch that Scouts can earn by participating.
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| We thank reporter William Bateman for his story on an Eagle Scout service project that took place in Carterville, Ill. Last year, more than 600 Eagle Scouts throughout our council achieved the highest rank in Scouting and completed a community service project to demonstrate their leadership skills. We look forward to seeing Lucas Hunter on the council's Eagle Easel. 
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As children head back to school, they will be deluged with extra-curricular opportunities. Sports teams, school clubs, arts organizations and many more organizations will compete for their attention. So this seems a good time to address the question, Why should my son join Scouting?
There are many reasons. Specific reasons may vary from family to family. Boys in elementary school are at a crucial stage in their physical, mental, social, and spiritual development. We believe Scouting is the best program for developing important skills and values in young men, including:
○ Leadership
○ Self-Confidence
○ Teamwork
○ Respect for others
○ Loyalty
○ Physical fitness
○ Determination
In addition, Scouting can bring the entire family together. In an independent study by Louis Harris & Associates, 90 percent of respondents said Scouting encouraged family togetherness through projects, going places and talking with each other. In this age of video games and iPods, it is more important than ever to find activities that can bring parents and children together.
We invite you to learn more about your local Scouting program by visiting www.beascout.org. Simply enter your ZIP code, and you will be shown a list of nearby Scouting units. You also have the option to ask questions or to request additional information. And if you know of other families that would benefit from Scouting, please share this information with them.
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The Duffle Blog:
Conversations about Scouting in the Greater St. Louis Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. |
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