Our End of the Summer Giveaway is over.  Thank you for all the entries!  We had 110 entries for three prizes.

The prizes were:

• One $15 Amazon.com Gift Card. This will be delivered as an electronic gift code.
• Boy Scouts of America’s Deck of Knots. (See product on Amazon)
• Coleman WideBeam 2AA Flashlight (See product on Amazon)

The winners are:

• Amazon Gift Card – Rosie (entry #54)
• BSA Deck of Knots – Doug (entry #16)
• Coleman Flashlight – Henry (entry #104)

All of the winners have been contacted via email. 

Scouting News Feedback:

A big thank you to everyone that entered.  We received some great feedback on what visitors wanted to see on Scouting News:

• More features on cub scouts!
• Arts & Crafts Resources
• Scouting tips and quick lessons. Something not everyone knows but should in order to be a better scouter.
• Annual updates and pictures on the Summit
• Information about Outstanding Pack/Troop Achievements
• More Girl Scout info. I have both Boy & Girl Scouts in my home!
• More info info on Patrol Z!   (All of the Patrol Z articles are featured on the Summit’s Blog)
• More information on recruiting from other Pack’s
• Less news release type articles 
• Any inside-the-organization efforts to purge our anti-gay bigotry
• I’d like to see what scout units aredoing aorund thecountry
• Randomly spotlighted troops doing good turns.
• Something to draw high school age kids to articles of interest to them
• Turn the question thing into an online forum that you can use for publication in the Scouting magazine.  (Scouting News is not associated with Scouting Magazine.)
• If I had one thought, it would be a place to collect cool scout links of the day – DIGG like.
• How to make scouting a great opportunity for kids with hearing or seeing disabilities and how to keep parents with similar disabilities in the loop.
• More contests and giveaways.  (We will try!)
• What you have is good
• Brief biographies of famous people that were Scouts
• Maybe info about what people have done that goes above and beyond for scouting. We have someone like that in MN that I am happy to know.

Thanks for the great feedback and entries!

Reed Media Services just-released book, Beginning Boy Scouts, introduces the Boy Scouts of America program and shares useful advice for parents and leaders covering a wide range of Scouting topics.  Its chapters include:

• Introduction
• Getting Started
• The Patrol Method
• Adult Leadership
• Meetings, Activities, and Administrivia
• The Uniform and Scout Supplies
• Rank Advancements
• Merit Badges
• Other Awards, Achievements, and Recognitions
• Setting Goals and Keeping Track
• Camping and Outdoor Activities
• Summer Camps, High Adventures, and Special Events
• Earning the Eagle

Boy Scouting provides character-building for over 830,000 boys through outdoor activities and youth-led leadership and life-long opportunities for over 530,000 adult volunteers (in the United States).

“The book helps parents and new leaders quickly understand the background and steps in helping boys succeed in Scouting,” said lead author, Jeremy C. Reed.  “Its strengths include highlighting significant rank requirements, filling out Eagle paperwork, and preparing for outdoor activities and summer camp.”

The practical book also covers youth leadership and responsibilities, suggested timelines and planning, and how adults can participate.

Ordering information: Published by Reed Media Services, Beginning Boy Scouts by Jeremy C. Reed and Heather R. Reed, 978-1-937516-01-7, 150 pages, softcover, $11.95.  http://www.reedmedia.net/books/beginning-boy-scouts/

For more about Reed Media Services, visit http://www.reedmedia.net/.

BEGINNING BOY SCOUTS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT ENDORSED OR SPONSORED BY THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. 50 MILER, BE PREPARED, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, BOY’S LIFE, BSA, CUB SCOUTS, JAMBOREE, MERIT BADGE, NATIONAL EAGLE SCOUT ASSOCIATION, ORDER OF THE ARROW, PHILMONT, SCOUTING, SCOUTMASTER, SCOUT SHOP, VARSITY SCOUT, VENTURE, VENTURING, AND WOOD BADGE ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA.

Last week, the Boy Scouts of America announced more than $85 million in new philanthropic gifts to help further fund the development of the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.

Led by a $25 million gift from West Virginia billionaire Jim Justice, president and CEO of Justice Companies, Inc., which includes the iconic Greenbrier Resort that he purchased in 2009, the new gifts bring the total funds raised to more than $200 million in less than two years. Business and philanthropic leaders from around the nation continue to support the largest project in BSA history with generous financial donations.

Justice’s contribution will establish the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, a key component of camping activities for Scouts at the Summit. It will bring together outdoor adventures in the West Virginia countryside with educational and leadership opportunities for youth.

“It is rare to be presented with an opportunity to impact so many lives,” Justice said. “The Summit will bring youth and families from all over the country—even the world—to West Virginia for a meaningful experience and incredible adventure.”

Justice has a long history of supporting and serving youth. He has been a youth basketball coach for 25 years, and has served as president of the Beckley Little League since 1992.

This week, leadership, volunteers, and donors from the BSA have gathered at the Greenbrier to celebrate the progress around the Summit. Tonight at a special banquet at Justice’s Greenbrier, the BSA will recognize new philanthropic gifts.

Justice’s donation is joined by new contributions from:

• The Ruby Foundation, $10 million to fund the J.W. and Hazel Ruby West Virginia Welcome Center
• Ed and Jeanne Arnold, $10 million to fund the Ed and Jeanne Arnold Transportation and Logistics Center
• Terrence and Peggy Dunn, in an undisclosed amount, to fund the Dunn Family Adult Leadership Camping Community
• J. Brett Harvey, in an undisclosed amount, which will fund the Harvey Mountain Bike Shop and Jared Harvey Bike Trails
• Two additional confidential donations of $22 million

Plans for the Summit began in 2007, when BSA leadership began looking for a new home for the national jamboree. After reviewing more than 80 sites in 28 states, the BSA chose the property in West Virginia in 2009.

A donation of $50 million from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Stephen Bechtel Fund—the largest gift in the history of the BSA—provided the financial seed to initiate the project. In 2010, the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation committed $25 million to the development of the Summit. Also, Consol Energy has donated $15 million to fund one of the pedestrian bridges at the Summit.

“The Summit is unlike anything the BSA has undertaken in its 100-year history and will be a premier opportunity for youth to experience the fun and adventure that define the Scouting experience,” said Rex Tillerson, BSA president, Eagle Scout, and CEO and chairman of Exxon Mobil Corporation. “We know if the BSA delivers a quality Scouting program, then we will be vital and relevant in our next 100 years. The Summit is the embodiment of Scouting’s focus.”

Located in the New River Gorge region of West Virginia, the Summit sits on 10,600 acres of forested mountains that will provide incredible facilities and intense outdoor programs. The Summit is scheduled to open in 2013 and will complement the three world-class BSA national high-adventure bases in New Mexico, Minnesota, and Florida. The site will permanently host the BSA’s iconic national Scout jamboree beginning in 2013 and the 2019 World Scout Jamboree.

About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.™” The Scouting organization is composed of 2.7 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and more than a million volunteers in nearly 300 local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit http://www.scouting.org/ or www.summitbechtelreserve.org