Beginning in 1910, the founders of the Boy Scouts of America set out to create a program to enrich the lives of young people. It was no easy task, but their efforts paid off—big time.
Each year since, thousands of Scouts and Scouters have followed in the founders' footsteps by creating new Scouting units. The BSA wants to recognize the efforts of a unit's founding members with a special piece of insignia—just in time for the program's 100th Anniversary.
The Founder's Bar, shown above, is worn by all youth and adults whose names are on a new-unit charter or who officially join the new unit before the unit recharters for the first time. Members of veteran units still in operation who were on the original charter may also wear the Founder’s Bar with that unit’s numerals.
You can wear the bar after your original charter has been accepted and processed by your council. All youth and adults who were on the new-unit charter can sew the Founder’s Bar of the left sleeve below the unit numerals.
Do you qualify? Contact your local Scout shop for information on how to purchase the materials shown above.
Wear the patch with pride and the knowledge that your work in forming and sustaining a Scouting unit has added to the program's impressive history.
What about multiple units you are registered to currently? I have a pack, troop and crew…
1 strip only? 1 for each unit?
@Scoutsigns:
You’ll wear one Founder’s Bar strip below the numerals for each unit for which you were a founding member. In other words, one for your Cub Scout uniform, one for your Boy Scout uniform, etc.
I’d have to be 102 years old to qualify for this. What am I to do?
does it matter what year it was founded or just those that start this year?? I started my troop and pack two years ago
Very cool. Any idea when Scout shops will start having them?
@theresa: This is retroactive. As long as your name is on the original charter, you qualify.
@Troop141CC: Your Scout shop should know when they’re coming in. The supply item number for the patch is 610129.
Sweet, got a hold of our local Scout shop and they’re on order. We have 9 members of our Troop that were around 2 years ago when we started up. We should have them in time for our Court of Honor at the end of the month. Nice little treat for those of us that are still a part of the Troop. Thanks for sharing the news on this new recognition.
what ever happened to know of the week, and the csp game
So I may qualify for this from when I was a youth in the pack for which I am currently a leader. Is council going to have this record from 1983-1984? Also will this go above or below a veteran unit strip?
Nevermind on the second part of my question, I misread and now see that this would go below the unit numerals while the veteran unit bar goes above them.
I was wondering what about Unit Commissioner’s that help form a new pack and stays with the unit over the years does this person qualify for the FOUNDER patch? Chances are that this person is not on the original charter or when the unit recharters the following year.
We are reviving a Troop that has been defunct for 8 years. Would the Founders patch apply to the members of the revival? New people, just reusing an old Troop number.
Our Cub Scout pack is in the same boat at Tom’s troop — the number was used long ago but the pack had gone completely off the books, according to our local council. Do we qualify?
@smwalker – If you were on the original charter as a youth and are now a leader in that same unit, you qualify for the bar.
@uc27dan – Unit commissioners will not ordinarily qualify to wear the bar unless they are also registered on the original charter.
@tom – dropped units that are restarted are considered new units. All those on the original charter qualify for the founders bar.
@David – My comment to Tom applies to you. I should have been clearer about the “original” charter to mean the charter for the restarted unit. You qualify.