100th Anniversary of Scouting Newsletter - March 2010

A Scout is Helpful!
In celebration of the 100th anniversary we invite you to join us in saving lives through the “A Scout is Helpful. 100 donors for 100 years of service” blood drive. Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center and The Gamehaven Council of the Boy Scouts of America are offering scouts age 16 and up, adult leaders, and everyone who supports the Boy Scouts the opportunity to help save a life! Every six minutes, someone at the Mayo Clinic receives a transfusion of blood. As each whole blood donation can be divided into three blood products, someone donating a single unit of whole blood can impact the lives of up to three people.

From February 8th through March 31st we are asking all eligible scouts, leaders, and others who support Scouting to participate in the “A Scout is Helpful. 100 donors for 100 years of service” blood drive. During these two months, we encourage you to donate a Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center in the Hilton Building. Please contact the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center at 507-284-4475 to make an appointment. On March 11 the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center will be open until 7pm. On this date, Scouts who are interested in learning more and/or working on the Medicine Merit badge may come for a tour. Donating will count toward requirement 10 of the Medicine Merit Badge. We would like scouts and leaders interested in the tour to schedule appointments between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM to donate. Please show up at your appointment in your class A uniform. Dr. Jeff Winters, a leader from Troop 21, a blood donor, and a physician in the Division of Transfusion Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, will take those Scouts in uniform on a tour and talk about the importance of blood donation. For the remainder of the month, when you donate please be sure to sign in on the tally sheet at the front desk so we can track our goal of 100 donors!

Where can I find more information about blood donation? Call the Donor Center at 507-284-4475 or click here. Normal donor center hours are 6am to 4:30pm.
Help save a life!

Attention collectors!
Now through March 18th the Rochester post office is offering a Boy Scouts of America Stamp cancellation in honor of the 100th anniversary! It is only available at Rochester and you need to ask for it at the counter.

National Hall of Leadership
-Your Action is required-
The deadline for the National Hall of Leadership has been extended to April 2, 2010. We are looking for your submission. Don't miss this one-time opportunity to recognize outstanding leadership by a Scout, registered Scout leader, or Scouting volunteer who made a significant difference in the life of another by the extraordinary service they have given and the Scouting virtues they have modeled. You know someone or may be two or three persons that inspire you or others,or has made a difference in the lives of others. Just submit the nominee name and tell us your story.
Submit your nominations here.

100 hours of Service
The 100 Hours of Service for 100 Years of Scouting committee would like to update you on the 100 hours of service project. As you know, our big kickoff event was Friday Feb 6th. We completed 3 quilts for the Women's Shelter.
We also decided we would like to track what each of the units is doing. We set up two websites to track this. The first website was for each unit to log in and report what service they were doing during this big kickoff week. That URL is http://tinyurl.com/100servicekickoff. The second site is to track all the service done by each unit through out the year. That URL is http://tinyurl.com/100servicetracking. Please make sure these are attached to the Gamehaven website. As units reach their goal, they will qualify to purchase a ribbon to hang on their flag.

The Boy Scouts of America Centennial Silver Dollar
The weaving of thoughts, cultures, and ideas into one American fabric is stamped into our national identity - E Pluribus Unum, "Out of Many, One."
In 2010, the United States Mint will produce a new commemorative coin that honors the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America. Beginning March 23, the United States Mint will make available for sale 350,000 high quality, modern issue, commemorative silver dollar coins.
Like the inscription on the coin, the BSA gathers together youth from all backgrounds. So, it is fitting that the surcharges from the sale of each coin are authorized for use to benefit the BSA National Foundation in its efforts to bring Scouting to underserved communities. Surcharges for the coin sales may generate up to $3.5 million for this very worthy cause. For the first thirty days the proof coin will be offered at $39.95 and the uncirculated coin will be offered at $33.95, after which the prices will be $43.95 and $35.95, respectively. Judge William S. Sessions, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Distinguished Eagle Scout, is the Honorary Chairman of the BSA's initiative to promote the Boy Scouts of America Centennial Silver Dollar. Judge Sessions' son Congressman Pete Sessions of Dallas, Texas, also a Distinguished Eagle Scout, introduced and championed the legislation that authorized the BSA to be one of the two commemorative coins produced by the United States Mint in 2010.
We expect this limited quantity of coins to sell fast! While orders cannot be placed in advance, beginning at noon (ET) on March 23, 2010 orders can be placed through the United States Mint at www.usmint.gov or at 1-800-USA-MINT