100th Anniversary of Scouting Newsletter - November 2009

A Year of Celebration A Century of Making a Difference

We want every Scout, adult leader, and Scouting alum to have the chance to be part of our biggest milestone yet—our 1OOth Anniversary Celebration. We want to fire up the passion for Scouting while giving everyone an opportunity to make a difference—and earn recognition. Individuals can earn awards by demonstrating dedication to five of Scouting’s core values—Leadership, Achievement, Community Service, Character, and the Outdoors. Participants can earn one award in each category. A Year of Celebration will be in effect from Sept. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2010. Gamehaven’s 100th anniversary team will be highlighting a different core value ribbon each month, starting with the outdoors ribbon. Go to the scout shop to purchase the starter patch. You do not need to complete any requirements to obtain the starter patch. Then work on the requirements and earn your ribbons. Go to here to print the form to obtain your ribbons. After printing the form take it to the scout shop to purchase your ribbons.

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Scouting’s contribution to society is most visible in the movement’s commitment to community service. Service is interwoven into many of Scouting’s honors and is mandatory for earning the higher rank advancements. Through service, Scouts demonstrate that they provide an essential function to their communities.

The Year of Celebration Community Service Award rewards recipients for providing time and resources at no charge for the good of their local community. More than just engage in service, the award recipient must also share their thoughts about why service is crucial to our society and how Scouts today fulfill a 100-year-old legacy of serving communities.

Over the years, the Boys Scouts of America has partnered with several national organizations to accomplish some great service projects. If you are looking for service project ideas, consider the following options:
Nothing But Nets
Scouting For Food
Habitat for Humanity
Our National Parks
American Red Cross
2010 US Census
Arbor Day Foundation
Take Pride in America
The Salvation Army
Cell Phones for Soldiers
Preserve Our Waterways

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award. * Make sure that all service hours are recorded online for ―Good Turn For America.

Cub Scouts
1. With your parent or den leader, identify a person who serves the community. Write or tell about what that person does for others. 2. With your family or den, help plan and carry out a community service project. Write or tell about the project. 3. With your family and/or den, clean up your Pack’s chartering organization’s parking lot, a neighborhood park, the school grounds, or other public area. 4. Participate in a nature beautification project such as a tree or natural vegetation planting. 5. Give service to a community organization such as a food bank or feeding station.

Boy Scouts
1. Participate in Scouting for Food or another food drive by spending at least one hour placing bags, collecting bags, distributing food, or spreading the word about food collection. 2. Volunteer to plant trees or landscape an area around a church, synagogue, or other place of worship or a not-for-profit organization that is not the Boy Scouts of America. 3. Provide two hours of service in a group community service project approved by your Scout leader. 4. Recruit one new boy or adult leader into Boy Scouts or Varsity Scouts. 5. Provide two hours of volunteer service at a hospital, senior citizen or veteran’s facility, or another facility approved by your Scout leader.

Venturers
1. Participate in the Venturing National Service Project. 2. Talk to a Cub Scout den about how service benefits the community. 3. Recruit a new member to your crew or ship or assist a pack, troop, or team in its recruiting efforts. 4. Write 200 words on the value of community service. Talk to your adviser or parent about your ideas. 5. Participate in a food drive and/or help at a food bank when Scouts turn in their Scouting For Food items.

Adult Leaders
1. Be an active participant in Scouting For Food or another food drive or help with a Salvation Army service project. 2. Be an active participant in the Nothing But Nets project found on the national 1OOth Anniversary Web site.3. Be an active participant in a Take Pride in America project or a project benefiting the National Parks Stewardship Awards program. 4. Be an active participant in an American Red Cross or a Habitat for Humanity project. 5. Be an active participant in any unit’s service project.

Alumni
1. Team up with a unit to participate in at least two hours of community service. 2. Work with your local Scout service center to help it identify Scouting alumni. Become familiar with all aspects of the BSA Alumni Connection Web site and arrange to speak to at least one community group about the 1OOth Anniversary and BSA Alumni Connection. Distribute BSA Alumni reconnection cards, available at your local Scout service center. 3. Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper or other publication. Share how Scouting influenced your understanding of service to others and commend local Scouts and leaders for the service they provide each year to the local community. 4. Encourage involvement in a local youth-led food collection drive by personally donating and providing participation information to one or more individuals. 5. Organize a community service project that benefits your community, through your employer or for any social, service, or religious group to which you may belong. Share with the members that you are a Scouting alumnus and distribute a BSA Alumni reconnection card, available at your local Scout service center.


NATIONAL HALL OF LEADERSHIP NOMINATIONS

*Gamehaven Council is looking for Nominations to the National Hall of Leadership.
*To be nominated for the National Hall of Leadership, the nominee must be a living Scout or Scouting volunteer who may/may not be officially registered with the BSA.
*They also must have served as an active Scout or Scouting volunteer within Scouting for at least one year. A nominee may be young or old-there is no age limit for nominees.
*Nominations are submitted in the form of a story that is 450 words or less, describing why the person is deserving of this one-time honor.
*The nomination period closes on February 8, 2010, the 100th Anniversary of Scouting. The final inductees to the National Hall of Leadership will total 303-one representing each BSA council and one selected by the National BSA Council-and will be announced at the BSA National Annual Meeting in Dallas in May 2010.
*You can submit as many nominations as you like. Use the attached form or go on-line at National Hall of Leadership.


100TH ANNIVERSARY PARTIES

The 100th anniversary team is looking for leaders in every town to help us with a community anniversary party. You can make it as simple or extravagant as you want. We will have a Mayoral Proclamation available to help celebrate the day! It can be held at your Sponsors location or anywhere you think is needed. Your announcement fliers should be out around the first part of January. We would like to announce a complete list of cities that are participating on the website by Mid January.
Contact us at gamehaven100thanniversary@gmail.com


**The Year of Celebration Patch Program has a new easy to use spread sheet to track ribbons earned by everyone.
Go HERE and click on the scout progress chart, and fill in the blanks.

Gamehaven Council 100th Anniversary Committee
website: http://gamehaven100thanniversary.blogspot.com
Email: gamehaven100thanniversary@gmail.com