Alumnialive! Alumnialive!
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Update on Girls in Scouting ALUMNIALIVE! (Pg. 9) Newsletter for Alumni and Friends SUMMER 2018 LEARNWith OutstandingHOWCreek Stewart! TO Eagle SURVIVE (Pg. Scout, 9) 2 1054 11 14 INSIDE Message Have You National Eagles A Look A Scouting From the Upgraded Scouting Exploring at How Hero’s THIS Director Your SAF Museum Set the World Scouting Profile Membership to Open Changes ISSUE Level? You A Message From The Director A former G.M. said, “My interest is in the future. I am going to spend the rest of my life there.” Seems like a good idea. The youth we serve in Scouting are going to spend a lifetime influenced by the values, habits, interests and spiritual growth experienced now. Lots of people play a part – parents, schools, and churches. Scouting serves all three of these foundations of society. Many times I have heard a person say, “I was a Scout and I’ll never forget it,” or “I don’t remember my teacher’s names, but I remember my Scout leader,” or “I use skills from Scouting every day.” As a Scouter, you shape the future, and my guess is you do it more than you know. I was recently assigned to report what is new with the Boy Scouts of America. Since the Boy Scouts is always improving, that is not too difficult an assignment. After giving it some thought, however, I decided it wasn’t the new training materials or program improvements or even camp developments that I ought to report on. I thought about how little statistics tell us about what really happened in past months or years. Rather, the life that was saved through Scouting skills, the new units that were organized and what they meant to youth and families, the experience of young people mastering a mile swim, or watching a ground squirrel one sunny afternoon at camp, were the important new things. Others are passing that Eagle Board Review, or being elected patrol leader for the first time, or how a new Cub Scout felt putting on their uniform or the first time. All these things, and many more like them, are the real new experiences of Scouting. I challenge you to get engaged or reengaged in Scouting. I hope to see you on the trail. Once a Scout, Always a Scout, Dustin Farris Director, Scouting Alumni and Friends ALUMNI NEWS Affiliate Profile: Summit Bechtel Reserve Staff Association Scouting Alumni & Friends is not the only group within the BSA financially able and understand the necessity of supporting the that seeks to reconnect with and reengage alumni. In fact, seasonal group,” he says. the Scouting map is dotted with groups both large and small that share that mission. On occasion, Alumni Alive profiles What does that support look like? Each summer, the group these groups and the ways they serve members and Scouting provides thank-you gifts and throws parties for seasonal alike. Here’s a profile of the Summit Bechtel Reserve Staff staffers to let them know their service is appreciated. Last Association. summer, the group provided $7,500 in end-of-season gifts to about 250 seasonal staff members (including stainless steel The Charles L. Sommers Alumni Association launched in 1992, cups for all staff and multi-tools for third-year returners). This 69 years after the first Scouts participated in what is now known year, in addition to thank-you gifts, staff members are also as the Northern Tier High Adventure Program. The Philmont receiving free laundry detergent for the new washing machines Staff Association was formed in 1974, 35 years after Philmont in Base Camp Echo. Scout Ranch opened for business. It took exactly a quarter- century for former staff members of the Florida Sea Base to Another major focus is providing college scholarships launch the Sea Base Alumni and Friends Association. to seasonal staff members. In 2017, the group honored retiring Summit Director Dan McCarthy by awarding $2,000 And then there’s the Summit Bechtel Reserve Staff Association scholarships in his name to five staff members. “After Dan (SBRSA), which welcomed its first members just 18 months retired we thought this is a very good opportunity to do the first after its namesake high-adventure base welcomed its first scholarships,” Smart says. “It suited Dan very well to establish campers. a scholarship fund in his name rather than receive a personal gift.” You can’t form an alumni association without a strong alumni base, which is why the BSA’s other high-adventure bases took Rather than rely on future retirements to generate donations, decades to establish alumni groups. So how did the Summit the SBRSA recently created the 37 North Society, which invites Bechtel Reserve Staff Association move so quickly? The life members to pledge $37 per quarter to the scholarship fund. secret, according to President Russell Smart, was the 2013 By this spring, 48 people had already joined, donating more National Scout Jamboree. That event, the first official event than $6,300. held at the new West Virginia camp, was staffed by some 6,000 volunteers. “We immediately had a huge number of folks who The importance of the support provided to seasonal staff had worked in that capacity at the Summit,” he says. was demonstrated in the essays submitted by last summer’s applicants. One of them, Nate Steele, explained the ripple What’s more, many of those volunteers — perhaps a majority effect of such support. “While I greatly enjoy serving in this — were also members of the Northern Tier, Philmont and Sea role [Venturing Advisor in Central Region Area 4] and on camp Base groups, so they instinctively knew the value of the new staff, the burden of paying for these additional activities as well organization. Which is probably why 639 of them signed on as as pay for school can often be overwhelming,” he wrote. “By charter members. (Membership currently stands at ~1,000.) receiving this scholarship, this allows me to not only further sustain my ability to stay as a student, but it also allows me to Alumni groups exist for many reasons, but Smart says the spend more time doing the thing I love: Scouting.” SBRSA’s number-one reason for existence is to support seasonal staff members, primarily college-age, young And in the end, that’s what most Scouting alumni want to do, people who could be earning more money and living in isn’t it? more comfortable surroundings elsewhere. “Because of our connection with the jamboree, a lot of our members are past the For more information on the Summit Bechtel Reserve Staff point of being seasonal staff, but they are also perhaps more Association, visit www.sbrstaff.org. 3 Scouting Alumni & Friends Introduces New Supporter Levels Membership may have its privileges, but that’s not why people join alumni organizations, says Tony Fiori, Scouting Alumni and Friends’ vice-chair for membership. “You’re not giving us $35 so you can get the tchotchke,” he says. “You’re giving us $35 because you feel like you want to make a contribution to Scouting.” What’s more, he says, you shouldn’t have to do anything extra to prove you belong. If you’ve been there, done that and The new Climber and Trailblazer levels offer these additional gotten the T-shirt, that ought to be enough. And so, effective thank-you items: July 1, 2018, Scouting Alumni & Friends is doing away with the concept of membership levels. “We’re adopting the vernacular • Climber: a subscription to Eagles’ Call of universities so that everyone who is an alum of the Scouting magazine and membership in the Wild Edible movement — and by extension their friends — is a member of Plant of the Month Club (also produced by Scouting Alumni and Friends,” Fiori says. “You don’t have to pay CR///EK Stewart). to become a member.” • Trailblazer: the Climber-level benefits plus That means Scouting Alumni & Friends now has something like a National Park Service annual pass and 50 million members — zero of whom have paid to join. discounts to national Scouting Alumni & Friends trips and events. Of course, many of those members want to support Scouting through the alumni group, and that opportunity has now In addition, a portion of Trailblazer-level gifts goes into the expanded. Instead of two membership levels — the free Hiker alumni endowment, which is distributed to councils in the form of level and the $35/year Pathfinder level — Scouting Alumni & recruitment and innovation grants. Friends now has three supporter levels: Pathfinder at $35/year, Climber at $144/year and Trailblazer at $540/year. Free Hiker And there’s an extra incentive for becoming a paid supporter, registration is still available. according to Larson. “If they sign up for a 10-year term, they’ll get the 10th year free,” he says. “They can pay that monthly or “Before, we felt we were capping support,” says Scouting Alumni annually, and they can sign up at any time.” & Friends Associate Director Ryan Larson. “People wanted to give more; this gives them the ability to do so, with some perks Which thank-you gifts will prove to be the most popular? Larson as a thank-you for their support.” leans toward the Wild Edible Plant of the Month Club. “I envision people making some pretty neat recipes,” he says. Fiori is more Yes, perks. Although people don’t join alumni groups for the excited about the national parks pass. “I think we’ll probably tchotchke, they do appreciate tangible thank-yous. The new hear from the folks who do give at that level that it is one of the supporter levels offer plenty of those.