Scouting magazine

Forbes profiles Stephen Bechtel Jr., "Billionaire Boy Scout"

Stephen Bechtel Jr. gave the BSA $50 million to help build Scouting's fourth high-adventure base. So it should come as no surprise that Bechtel believes in the power of the BSA.

"I just felt this was something I could do to pay a little bit back to the Scouts for what I got from them," he told Forbes.com in a recent video interview.

Bechtel is one of eight billionaires who are also Eagle Scouts. Check out the full video below as Forbes takes you inside the fascinating life of this "Billionaire Boy Scout."

Cub Scouts meet Steve Holcomb, Olympic gold medalist and Eagle Scout

Some people have all the luck. Last weekend, in addition to racing pinewood derby cars against NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon, a group of Atlanta Cub Scouts met Steve Holcomb, driver of the gold medal-winning U.S. four-man bobsled team.

Holcomb, an Eagle Scout, led his "Night Train" sled to the Americans' first gold medal in the four-man event since 1948. He's pictured above with his gold medal and Cub Scouts Kristopher Assing (left) and Christian Bosti.

A nationwide push to double the number of Hispanic Scouts

The Boy Scouts of America has a membership of more than 2.9 million Scouts nationwide, but just 4.5 percent of those Scouts are Hispanic. Compare that to the demographics of the U.S. as a whole, where 15.4 percent of U.S. citizens are Hispanic, and it's clear there's room for the BSA to improve.

The BSA has launched a multifaceted effort to reach this underserved community, as documented in a recent article from the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

It starts with educating the Hispanic community about Scouting, Scout Executive Joseph Daniszewski of the California Inland Empire Council, told the paper.

"We have to do a better job of telling our story and telling people what Scouting is all about," he said. "We can't assume that everyone knows what Scouting is."

In addition to putting people on the ground to discuss the benefits of Scouting, here are just a few of the ways the BSA is reaching out to the Hispanic community:

• Forming a Hispanic Initiatives team and launching a comprehensive Web site.

• Introducing the ¡Scouting… Vale La Pena! Service Award square knot.
• Releasing a Spanish-language version of the BSA Handbook. 

Chime in: In what other ways can the BSA reach underserved youth? Register your opinion in the comments section below.

Racing on their terms, Atlanta-area Cub Scouts take on Jeff Gordon

In a grueling 500-mile race, who would win: a NASCAR champion or a Cub Scout? No contest. Besides, the BSA’s Health and Safety team would surely frown on hearing about an unlicensed 11-year-old driving a racecar.

But who would win if you brought the NASCAR champion onto the Cub Scouts’ turf? Today, a handful of lucky boys got to find out. 11-year-old Jared Oenick (above) and seven other Cub Scouts from Atlanta’s Flint River Council raced their pinewood derby cars against NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon. And cameras from Fox Sports were there to capture the fun.

Gordon’s race against the Cub Scouts is scheduled to air this Sunday before his other race—the Kobalt Tools 500. Coverage begins at noon (ET) on your local Fox affiliate, but because this is live TV, we aren’t sure when the piece will air during the prerace broadcast. Stay tuned. Also keep an eye out for Boy Scouts leading the flag ceremony before the Saturday and Sunday races.

Today’s pinewood derby race was hardly Gordon’s first brush with the BSA. Last year, he received the prestigious Silver Buffalo Award in recognition of his contributions to a national Scout recruitment program and his personal humanitarian efforts. And this wasn’t the first time the BSA and NASCAR have come together, said Ed Clark, president and general manager of Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“Scouting and NASCAR, at their very heart, are about bringing families together and having fun. Many of our fans first attended a race as Scouts, and now they bring their children to the races,” Clark said. “I was a Scout and am currently a Scouting volunteer. This organization has had a profound influence on my life.”

This weekend also marks the nationwide start of the BSA’s “Race to 2010,” part of the BSA’s 100th Anniversary geocaching program. Pinewood derby cars representing every BSA council in the country will race all across America thanks to the high-tech treasure-hunting game.

As the cars move from cache to cache, Scouts and Scouters can track their vehicles’ progress online as they head toward the finish line: the 2010 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. The cars that travel the farthest and pass through the most hands will receive prizes, including memorabilia signed by Gordon.

Find out more about “Race to 2010” here (link opens PDF).

For two more photos from the event, follow the jump below.

Scouting in the News: 100th Anniversary roundup

Whenever a major organization reaches its 100th birthday, it’s a headline-making story. But when that organization is the Boy Scouts of America, we have a major news event on our hands.

To help you sort through the reams of media coverage about the BSA from the past few days, we present this roundup of excerpts from some of our favorites. Click the link with each excerpt for the complete story.

The Christian Science Monitor presents a piece on peace—and how Scouting helps promote it:

Sometimes parents in my troop remark about their son’s growth, or a good turn he has done, or how an older Scout helped a younger one. I reply, "This is Scouting. This is the way the world could be."

Over the weekend, ABC’s “Good Morning America” aired a comprehensive story on Scouting’s legacy:

Scouts camp, hike and earn merit badges in wilderness survival, computers, farm mechanics, chemistry, and more. But while most Scout activities center on having fun outdoors and exploring nature, these experiences are meant to build character, self-reliance, and citizenship.

The Seattle Times interviewed former and current Scouts, including Eagle Scout Evan Skandalis. The high-school junior showed wisdom beyond his years:

“As far as being an Eagle Scout, the badge is just fabric," said Skandalis. "But what it stands for is so much more important. The program has allowed me to go canoeing in Minnesota and Canada, build trails in Mount Shasta, and backpack in the mountains that I have come to love. The Scouting movement still has relevance to this country, and it has a distinct imprint on the American experience. It really turns boys into men."

And don’t miss this touching personal account from Eagle Scout Arnold Mears. The Baltimore Sun published the 17-year-old foster child’s account of how Scouting came through when he needed it most:

Things had gotten bad at home, and I was locked out of the house. I had nowhere to turn, so I went back to my friend's house, and her mother was a den leader. And it all clicked. I found out about Scouting, and I liked it right away.

I knew I could achieve the things I wanted to once I got into Scouting. It taught me how to think on my own and think fast. It gave me ways to see progress. By earning merit badges and moving up through the ranks, I could see myself accomplishing things every week or two.

And the more I achieved, the more I wanted to. I wanted to be an Eagle Scout, and I got there.

Two Dallas-area Boy Scouts get Heroism Award

You tell your Scouts to "Be Prepared" for anything, but would they know what to do when a model rocket flies off course and into the chest of one of their peers? 

Josh Raynes and Chris Rogers did.

For their actions in saving the life of 16-year-old Connor McNeil, the boys received the Heroism Award (left) in a ceremony yesterday.

To read how their actions saved the day, click here.

The Heroism Award, first given out in 1923, is awarded to youth or adults who use Scouting skills to attempt to save someone's life with little or no risk to themselves. Only about 3,000 have been awarded in the medal's history.

Fourth Boy Scout high-adventure base set to open in 2013

You've hiked through Philmont, set sail at Florida Sea Base, and paddled around Northern Tier. You've done it all, right?

Not anymore. Coming in 2013 is the BSA's fourth high-adventure base, called The Summit: Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. The 10,600-acre property will host rappelling, mountain biking, and—a first for a BSA high-adventure base—whitewater rafting.

The Summit is made possible in part by a $50 million contribution from the Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation. That's the largest single donation in BSA history.

The Summit will host future national jamborees and represents an attractive possible location for future world jamborees, as well.

You can read all about the exciting new Scouting venue in the January-February issue of Scouting magazine. But if you're itching to know more now, check out these links:

• The BSA's official release about the announcement.
• A local take from a West Virginia news station.
• Another local story from a West Virginia newspaper.

Construction will start in spring 2010, and then the countdown begins.

Chime In: Have thoughts on the new high-adventure base? Let us know in the comment box below.

Scouting in the News: July 30, 2009

Dedicated Scouting volunteers, such as yourself, get their BSA news and information from Scouting magazine and, we hope, right here at the Cracker Barrel blog.

But for the uninitiated, the mainstream media often are the only sources of the Scouting story. Luckily for we who support Scouting, most of what they’re reading and hearing is overwhelmingly positive and in line with the BSA’s core values.

So let’s take a peek at how the “other side” hears about the program we love. Here are three recent stories from major newspapers:

• First, from Atlanta, a dramatic river rescue features a heroic boy who says he “would’ve been clueless if it weren’t for the Boy Scouts.”

• Then find out why the license plates on Scouting mom and Miami resident Ana Vega’s Toyota Corolla now read “TWO EGL.”

• Finally, a Kentucky boy’s struggle to overcome a congenital heart defect was aided by the one constant in his tumultuous life: Scouting.   

The digital divide

Technology: You gotta love it. It allows Scouters to stay connected and helps the BSA reach new audiences in interesting ways. Most importantly, without technology this blog wouldn’t exist.

But when it comes to enjoying the outdoors, many packs, troops, and crews choose to limit or ban most high-tech items.

This practice was documented in “Cut-Off Campers,” a recent article in the Press of Atlantic City. The story starts like this:

“The woods around the Roosevelt Scout Reservation were silent. No humming computers. No music. Not even the telltale clicking of a cell phone texter. Just the chirping of crickets, the crackling of the campfire and the occasional rustle of some nocturnal creature.”

The article goes on to discuss various practices Scouters use when it comes to technology. It’s an interesting subject and one that Scouting magazine readers already have weighed in on. In our November-December 2008 issue, we printed responses from readers about controlling cell phone use. 

The healthy debate was mainly between those who forbid any technological items in the outdoors and those who want their Scouts to maintain some connection with family back home.

Chime In: What’s your troop’s policy on the technology issue, and how did you come to that decision? Let us know in the comment box below.

Scouting in the News: April 24, 2009

With great Scouting stories from across the country, just waiting to be told, newspapers and other media outlets are catching on.

Here are some recent highlights:

• Looking for a good, inexpensive tent for your new Boy Scout? This article pitches a few that might interest you.
• How’s this for an ambitious Eagle Scout project? A high school sophomore in Indiana wanted to build a $26,000 playground for his Hindu temple. Did he succeed?