Dallas-based Circle Ten Council announces $25 million gift

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Dallas-based Circle Ten Council announced yesterday that it received a $25 million gift from The Rees-Jones Foundation. The donation, one of the largest an individual council has ever received, will be used to help fund ScoutReach in the council and to improve Circle Ten's four camp properties. 

The Rees-Jones Foundation is led by Trevor Rees-Jones, an Eagle Scout. Until now, he was probably best known for his role as president and CEO of Chief Oil & Gas, an oil exploration and drilling company headquartered in Dallas.

But in 2006, he created The Rees-Jones Foundation with his wife, Jan. They're pictured above at yesterday's recognition ceremony posing with several Scouts who are already benefiting from the council's ScoutReach program.

ScoutReach helps bring Scouting to urban and rural youth who may lack the financial resources to afford to participate.

Trevor Rees-Jones and his wife said they want economically disadvantaged youth to have the same kind of Scouting opportunities that he himself enjoyed as a member of Troop 70 in the Dallas area. Thanks to their gift, that dream is taking shape.

Rex Tillerson, BSA president and also the CEO of Exxon-Mobil Corp., was personally on hand to thank the Rees-Joneses for their gift.

“Today is a time to give thanks for the generous commitment and the incredible leadership of Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones,” Tillerson said. “The vision that Jan and Trevor have will allow Circle Ten to provide a first-class outdoor experience at our facilities for all Circle Ten youth and will make possible the Scouting program for youth who might not otherwise be able to participate in Scouting.”

The $25 million gift is a significant step toward the council's Centennial Campaign goal of raising $90 million by the end of 2012. They plan to dedicate $28.5 million of that money to capital projects and the remaining $61.5 million to the council's endowment fund.

Circle Ten board president Sherwood Blunt Jr. emphasizes the importance of this campaign for the next century of Scouting in North Texas.

“Supporting this campaign is about more than helping the Scouts of today," he said. "This campaign is really about securing the future of Scouting for the youth of tomorrow.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.