After an extensive discussion within the organization, the Boy Scouts of America’s approximately 1,400 volunteer voting members chose to adopt the membership policy resolution and remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone.

The final vote breakdown was 61.44 percent for the proposal, and 38.56 percent against. The change takes effect Jan. 1, 2014.

Voting results were tabulated and certified by TrueBallot, an independent, third-party voting firm.

Read more at this site, or find the full text of the BSA’s official media statement below:

For 103 years, the Boy Scouts of America has been a part of the fabric of this nation, with a focus on working together to deliver the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training.

Based on growing input from within the Scouting family, the BSA leadership chose to conduct an additional review of the organization’s long-standing membership policy and its impact on Scouting’s mission. This review created an outpouring of feedback from the Scouting family and the American public, from both those who agree with the current policy and those who support a change.

Today, following this review, the most comprehensive listening exercise in Scouting’s history the approximate 1,400 voting members of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Council approved a resolution to remove the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone. The resolution also reinforces that Scouting is a youth program, and any sexual conduct, whether heterosexual or homosexual, by youth of Scouting age is contrary to the virtues of Scouting. A change to the current membership policy for adult leaders was not under consideration; thus, the policy for adults remains in place. The BSA thanks all the national voting members who participated in this process and vote.

This policy change is effective Jan. 1, 2014, allowing the Boy Scouts of America the transition time needed to communicate and implement this policy to its approximately 116,000 Scouting units.

The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive, and unresolved societal issue. As the National Executive Committee just completed a lengthy review process, there are no plans for further review on this matter.

While people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in Scouting. Going forward, our Scouting family will continue to focus on reaching and serving youth in order to help them grow into good, strong citizens. America’s youth need Scouting, and by focusing on the goals that unite us, we can continue to accomplish incredible things for young people and the communities we serve.

Some rights reserved by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

Updated 1:03 p.m. May 14 with info on need for volunteers at May 21 event. See bottom of post.

Eldon Fossey, Scoutmaster of Troop 75 in Moore, Okla., was at work when the deadly tornadoes passed through yesterday, killing at least 24 and leaving horrific damage.

As soon as they got the all-clear, Eldon’s boss told everyone to leave. It took Eldon two hours to make the seven-mile drive home.

Thankfully, his house was three-quarters of a mile north of the tornado’s path. Other people in his life weren’t so lucky. A Scout in Eldon’s troop and Eldon’s brother-in-law had their houses completely leveled. When I talked to Eldon, he was on his way to his mother-in-law’s house, which was still standing but no longer structurally sound.

Understandably, Eldon had little to report as he focuses on helping his immediate family. But, thankfully, he didn’t know of any deaths in his 50-member troop. 

“I have put the word out to our troop and let everyone know where we stand,” he said. “I told my troop that as soon as cops allow them back into the neighborhood, I told them to do as much as they can to help. Once we’re able, we need to help.”

That same message was echoed by Jeff Woolsey, Scout Executive of the Oklahoma City-based Last Frontier Council. He called me right as he was about to step into a meeting to discuss what the council can do to help.

Right now, they’re in the information-gathering stage.

“We’re very concerned and trying to get as much communication as we can,” he said. “We’re all praying for them, becase the magnitude of this disaster is huge.”

But Woolsey knows the resolve of his community — and his state — is strong.

“Oklahomans have been through this many times, and they know the drill,” he said. “So we’ll be organizing very quickly.”

Woolsey and his council have contacted United Way and other partner agencies that respond to these kinds of crises to tell them, “We’re standing by. We’re ready,” he said, “as we have been with disasters in the past to mobilize Scouts and moms and dads to help where we can.”

At this early stage, Woolsey said, the key is to stay out of the way and let first responders do their jobs. In the meantime, Woolsey has a point person, a key volunteer, in charge of relief efforts. When it’s safe to do so, that point person will lead the Scouts and Scouters into action.

But what about people who aren’t able to drive to the disaster site to help? Woolsey suggests they give to the groups that are already helping people.

“Folks outside of the area can help best by giving to American Red Cross and to the Salvation Army — the local ones here if they can,” he said. “Those are the agencies that are right now on the ground helping. And they do a very good job very quickly.”

“And of course we appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers,” he said.

I’ll keep you updated on this developing story as I learn new details.

Volunteers needed May 21

Update | 1:03 p.m., May 14

Just received word from the Last Frontier Council that they’re looking for volunteers to help move supplies and equipment in the afternoon on Tuesday, May 21. Here are the details:

Troop 180 & St. Andrews United Methodist Church
American Red Cross Shelter
2727 SW 119th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73170
405-692-4242

Volunteers are needed to unload and move supplies and equipment. A large trailer from AutoZone will be delivering supplies in the afternoon of May 21.

All sorts of useful items may be donated: food, bottled water, clothing and toiletries are needed. Scouting volunteers are encouraged to wear the BSA uniform or a BSA shirt.

Main photo from Flickr: Some rights reserved by The National Guard

Fans of racing, fast cars, or major sporting events are probably already planning to tune in and watch the Indianapolis 500 (noon Sunday on ABC).

But here’s a reason for fans of Scouting to watch: The No. 19 Boy Scouts of America car, driven by Justin Wilson and provided at no cost to the BSA through the generosity of Dale Coyne Racing, has a good chance to do really well. The car was the second-fastest Honda engine qualifier, and Wilson has proven himself a successful driver on big stages like this one.

On that note, Indy 500 is easily the biggest national sporting event of the year from which we can spread the news that Scouting is relevant, exciting, and perfectly linked to science, technology, engineering, and math.

Think about it. Some 6.8 million viewers watched last year’s race. If this year’s race gets similar numbers, that’s a lot of eyeballs seeing the words “Be a Scout!” and the website BeAScout.org zoom around the Indy oval. And if the car does well, that’s even more air time.

It’s essentially free advertising, all made possible by the gifts of Dale and Gail Coyne.

All this week, Wilson and the Dale Coyne Racing team are preparing the car for Sunday. And John R. Fulton Jr., former director of photography for Scouting and Boys’ Life magazines, is at the speedway to document their preparations. He sent in these great photos: 

Justin Wilson in the pits during practice for Indy 500. One of Justin’s teammates on Dale Coyne Racing team, Ana Beatriz, is behind him in yellow suit.

Team owner Dale Coyne watches his No. 19 Boy Scout car on the track at Indy 500 practice.

Dale Coyne Racing crew members work on the No. 19 Boy Scout car after practice at Indy 500 track in Indianapolis.

A reflection in Justin’s glasses shows the pit crew hard at work.

The sun is shining on a cloudless day as Justin Wilson waits in the pits.

Justin Wilson takes a break in the pits during practice for Indy 500.

Justin Wilson in the pits during practice for Indy 500. Staying hydrated is key so Justin’s water bottle is resting on the rear view mirror between sips.

Justin Wilson drives the No. 19 Boy Scout car into third turn at Indianapolis during practice. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway “winged foot” is painted on the outside wall of Turn 3.

Justin Wilson focuses in the pits during practice for Indy 500.

“Be a Scout!” side pod rests outside the Dale Coyne Racing No. 19 garage at Indy 500 garages while car is being worked on.

Justin Wilson, driver of the No. 19 Boy Scout car, takes his helmet off after practice for Indy 500.

The No. 19 Boy Scout car is attended to during a pitstop at practice for Indy 500 by Dale Coyne Racing crew. The umbrella is to hold over driver Justin Wilson to prevent overheating of the driver.

Justin Wilson driving the No. 19 Boy Scout car for Dale Coyne Racing, zooms out of the pits during practice for Indy 500 in Indianapolis.

Justin Wilson in the pits during practice for Indy 500.

An important reminder about BSA Racing

To, hopefully, stave off any misconceptions, I’ve started including this reminder with all of my posts about BSA Racing, which includes the IndyCar team and the NASCAR Nationwide Series team:

In past blog posts about BSA Racing, some commenters intimated that the Boy Scouts of America was investing heaps of its own money to support these cars. That’s not true. In fact, the program is a royalty-free arrangement, meaning that thanks to the generous support of Dale Coyne Racing, IndyCar, and Scott Lagasse Racing, there’s no cash investment from the BSA.

Instead, in return for the support from those three groups, the BSA lists them as national sponsors in its promotional materials — that’s it. It’s the kind of relationship where everyone sees the checkered flag.

All photos copyright John R. Fulton Jr. and may not be reused without permission.

But it’s what’s outside that caught my eye.

The museum, located in McMinnville, just opened a new designated Scout camping area. That means Scouts can set up their tents among oak trees right off the museum’s parking lot and then walk over to the museum during the day.

Once there, they can check out displays like the original Spruce Goose, movies in the museum theater, merit badge classes, or the “educational waterpark” with its 10 waterslides that teach visitors about the power of water. 

No Scout camping area is complete without a great gateway, and, as you can see above, this has it. The gateway prominently displays the Scout Oath and Scout Law, but its underlying message is that “Scouts are welcome here.”

The photo was sent to me by Jackie Dannemiller of the Cascade Pacific Council. The Scouts and Scouters pictured recently gathered for the 2013 Wapiti District Camporee, an event so fun that Jackie couldn’t help but share the news with everyone.

If your unit will be in Oregon soon, Jackie recommends you stop by the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum — and, of course, spend a couple of nights camping in the museum’s backyard.

Other Scout-friendly museums?

No museum is more targeted to Scouts than the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas.

But Jackie’s email got me thinking: Are there other museums around that go above and beyond to welcome and serve Scouts? If so, leave a comment below and tell everyone about it.

If a Scout, say, builds a house with his church youth group or delivers meals with his school’s student council, can those hours count toward Boy Scout rank advancement?

That’s what a Scouter named Andrea wondered this week:

Bryan,

Our troop only allows service hours to accrue if it is a troop-sponsored service event. I think that this is against Scouting principles but understand the difficulty in calculating hours if the boys are collecting hours through school, church, etc. What is the BSA policy for this? Can the boys earn service hours outside the troop and how do we get those to “count” if they are allowed to be accrued by the Scout?

Thanks,

Andrea

Now, nobody will question the value of service to others — even those not conducted with a Scout unit. But what Andrea’s wondering is whether her Scoutmaster is correct in restricting which hours may be applied to rank advancement within Scouting.

The short answer: The Scoutmaster is correct. If he or she wants the service projects to be part of troop activities, that’s fine.

Again we turn to the BSA’s Advancement Team for the full explanation.

Service requirements in Boy Scouts

First, a reminder about where and when Boy Scouts must accumulate service hours. Here’s the official language:

• Second Class Requirement #5: Participate in an approved (minimum of one hour) service project(s).
• Star Scout Requirement #4: While a First Class Scout, take part in service projects totaling at least six hours of work. These projects must be approved by your Scoutmaster.
• Life Scout Requirement #4: While a Star Scout, take part in service projects totaling at least six hours of work. These projects must be approved by your Scoutmaster.

Service hours explained

The Advancement Team says:

As you can see, all service projects must be approved by the unit leader (Scoutmaster in this case).

However, service hours are not restricted to just unit-sponsored events or projects. On page 84 of the Boy Scout Handbook, it states in part: “A service project is a special Good Turn that puts Scout spirit into action. Projects can take many forms. You might take part in a community cleanup; repair a place of worship, a museum, or the home of an elderly person; improve a wildlife habitat; volunteer at a hospital or with a public safety group; organize a recycling effort; or conduct a clothing pickup or food drive.”

Scouts may also assist on Eagle Scout projects being conducted by the Eagle Scout candidate.

Again, approval must be obtained from the unit leader; this is how service hours are counted and accounted for.

Basically, a Scout could accumulate service hours outside of Scouting, but only if his Scoutmaster approves.

This is a case of letting each Scoutmaster set his or her own policy.

Thanks for the question, Andrea!

Ask the Expert your question

I can’t find an answer to every question, but I’m taking a select few to our BSA experts to provide some insight. Right now I’m focusing on questions that are asked frequently or would apply to a large group of Scouts or Scouters.

If you have an Ask the Expert question, email it to me.

Related post

Ask the Expert: Do the hours worked by family members count on an Eagle service project?

Photo from Flickr: Some rights reserved by USAG-Humphreys