The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the nation’s foremost youth character development program, in partnership with Celestron, a leading designer and manufacturer of telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes and microscopes, announced a joint program to encourage interest in space exploration and astronomy among America’s youth, beginning with a donation of 200 Celestron SkyScouts.

Each year in the BSA program, nearly 50,000 boys earn merit badges in space exploration and astronomy. To enhance their learning experience, Celestron is donating the SkyScout units to the astronomy programs at all high adventure and approximately half of the BSA summer resident camps nationwide. Last year more than 1.2 million youth attended a Boy Scout summer or high adventure camp.

The formal donation was made on May 23rd, 2006 at a kick-off event during the BSA’s National Annual Meeting, when Celestron gave a demonstration to BSA camp directors and local Scouts and presented the BSA with a check for the value of the donation, approximately $80,000.

Celestron President & CEO Joe Lupica along with representatives from the Boy Scouts of America’s Venturer, Boy Scout and Sea Scout programs announced a collaboration at the Boy Scouts of America National Annual Meeting on May 23rd to further encourage interest in astronomy and space exploration beginning with a donation of 200 Celestron SkyScouts.

“American youth have always had a natural curiosity to explore new frontiers including our universe and space in general,” said Dave Bates, director of Boy Scout camping and conservation. “During the past century nearly 1 million Scouts have earned merit badges in Astronomy and space exploration-related topics. This donation of Celestron SkyScouts will further allow BSA to inspire Scouts to explore and discover our universe.”

Continue Reading

By: Mary Beth Kriskey, Marketing Director, (402) 431-9BSA (9272)

The Mid-America Council, Boy Scouts of America, was recognized at the National Boy Scouts of America’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. last month.

National Marketing Award
The Mid-America Council received the “National President’s Award for Marketing Excellence.” The local council won for the third consecutive year in the “Best Positive Public Relations” category, notes William F. “Rick” Cronk, president of the Boy Scouts of America. The Council was honored for local and national media coverage of “Project Pocket Flag,” coordinated by Troop 53 in Bellevue, NE, which has created and distributed more than 20,000 miniature American flags to soldiers serving overseas. Established eight years ago, the national marketing competition recognizes outstanding and innovative marketing produced by, or on behalf of, the Scouts and the local council. A panel of 21 marketing, advertising and public relations professionals judged 280 entries in eight categories.

Regional Awards
The Mid-America Council, headquartered in Omaha, with a satellite office in Sioux City, IA, was named one of the top Scout councils in the Central Region, which encompasses 14 states. The Council was recognized as a “Bronze Record Award” recipient, for adding a minimum of $500,000 to the Council’s Endowment Fund in 2005. The Council also received the “National Endowment Achievement Award,” for meeting and/or exceeding national standards for an effective endowment program. For the fourth consecutive year, the Mid-America Council received the “Scoutreach Award,” for service to inner city youth. Reporting more than 10,000 hours of community service by Scouts and adult volunteers earned the Council the “2005 Good Turn for America” Award.

Continue Reading

As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, D.c., Friday, May 26, 2006
Department of Defense Link: http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/2006/sp20060526-13138.html

John Cushman, Roy Williams, thank you so very much for this fine honor and for your dedicated leadership in service of Scouting.

I’m delighted to join all of you here. Unfortunately, the President has scheduled a National Security Council meeting for this morning at 8:35. Otherwise, I’d be joining you for breakfast, and then we’d have the speeches and the awards and that type of thing, and I’d have a chance to say hello to a great many of you and thank each of you individually for what you do for Scouting.

As Secretary of Defense, I’ve had the privilege of meeting a good many Scouts who have come to the Pentagon.

In fact, just outside my door is a small, folded American flag, one of the many flags that are distributed by the Boy Scouts to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who serve our country. The flag has a little note with it that says:

“Here[s] is a flag for your pocket, so you can always carry a little bit of home. [And we're] We are praying for you and [we're] we are proud of you. [We] Thank you for defending our country and [our] freedom,”

That small flag is a reminder that so many Americans — and so many Boy Scouts — recognize the importance of the duty that each member of the military has and what they — that they volunteered to serve our country, to defend them, their families, their homeland and their freedom. And that recognition is greatly appreciated by all of those in uniform.

I’m very honored to accept Scouting’s Silver Buffalo Award. I’m told that I’m in some very excellent company, including my friend — long-time friend — Gerald Ford, who received this award. So it’s quite an honor.

But the honorees that have received this award really are not the only figures in Washington, D.C. who have been touched by the Scouting program. The bigger part of Scouting’s impact is — in Washington is very — not very visible, really, but it’s much more profound. It can be found in the character of the men and women who serve the American people. Indeed, many of our nation’s highest elected leaders were Scouts. President Bush was a Cub Scout in Midland, Texas. Vice President Cheney was a Boy Scout in Casper, Wyoming. I’m told that about half of the current members of the Congress participated in Scouting in one way or another, and 27 were Eagle Scouts.

Continue Reading