Celebrating 100 Years

The Boy Scouts of America is preparing for their 100^th Anniversary in 2010.  Jen Lydon, the Trailblazer District Executive, spoke to the Optimist Club about the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts, which serves Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.  The key messages of the Boy Scouts of America this year are:

●  For 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America has created a strong foundation of leadership and service for millions of America’s youth.  We celebrate this legacy as we reaffirm our commitment to inspire and prepare future generations.

●  Scouting has brought families and communities together for 100 years to prepare America’s youth to live, work, and play with character and integrity.

●  Scouting is as vital and relevant today as it was when our journey began.

The Mid-America Council consists of 12 districts and six Scout camps within the Council.  There are Scouting 830 units.  The Treynor Cub Scout Pack is the largest Pack in the Trailblazer District, which consists of Pottawattamie, Mills, Fremont, and part of Cass counties.  41% of the boys in Treynor are in Scouting, compared to 16% nationally.  The Mid-America Council was named to the National Boy Scouts of America’s “Chief Scout Executive’s Winners’ Circle”, based upon membership growth.

The Boy Scout’s programs re helpful to all boys.  The Mid-America Council has been especially effective with inner city youth through providing good role models for young men and through a “can do” and supportive attitude.

When asked about the tornado at Little Sioux Scout Ranch on June 11, Jen showed several photos of the damage and new pictures of the path of the tornado, as seen in tree damage from aerial photos.  Besides the four youth killed, about 40 youth were treated at area hospitals for injuries from the tornado and 14 spent at least one night in the hospital.  Because of the precarious tree damage, the Camp just opened two weeks ago for the Council.  Prior to that, investigations and professional tree removal kept the camp off-limits to everyone, except for designated personnel.

On September 13 the Council is planning a get-together at the Mid-America Center for all scouts that were at Little Sioux during the tornado.  This will be the first time they have all been together since camp.

The Mid-America Council web site is

www.mac-bsa.org/.  To help with tornado relief, send inquiries to tornadorelief@mac-bsa.org.  Contributions toward rebuilding Little Sioux Scout Ranch can be sent to the Scout office (please note on the check that your gift is intended for LSSR efforts) at:

Mid-America Council, Boy Scouts of America (MAC-BSA)
Attn: LSSR Relief
12401 W. Maple Road
Omaha, NE 68164