What is Boy Scouts of America?

The Purpose of the Boy Scouts of America
The purpose of the Boy Scouts of America, incorporated on February 8, 1910, and chartered by Congress in 1916, is to provide an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness.

Mission Statement of the Boy Scouts of America
It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping to instill values in young people and, in other ways, to prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetimes in achieving their full potential. The values we strive to instill are based on those found in the Scout Oath and Law.

Chartered Organization Concept
Community-based organizations receive national charters to use the Scouting program as a part of their own youth work. These groups, which have goals compatible with those of the BSA, include religious, educational, civic, fraternal, business, and labor organizations; governmental bodies; corporations; professional associations; and citizens' groups.

The Pee Dee Area Council
The Pee Dee Area Council was chartered by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America in 1928 to deliver the Scouting programs to eleven counties of South Carolina. They are Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Horry, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Sumter, and Williamsburg Counties. The Pee Dee Area Council is divided into four geographic districts for ease of service.

Atakwa District - Dillon, Florence, and Williamsburg Counties
Chicora District - Horry and Marion Counties
Great Northern District - Chesterfield, Darlington, and Marlboro Counties
Henry Shelor District - Clarendon, Lee, and Sumter Counties

The Programs of the Boy Scouts of America

Cub Scouting - is a year-round family- and home-centered program that develops ethical decision-making skills for boys in the first through fifth grade (or who are 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 years old). Activities emphasize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness.

Boy Scouting - A year-round program for boys 11 through 17 designed to achieve the aims of Scouting through a vigorous outdoor program and peer group leadership with the counsel of an adult Scoutmaster. (Boys also may become Boy Scouts if they have earned the Cub Scouting Arrow of Light Award and are at least 10 years old or have completed the fifth grade and are at least 10 years old)

Venturing - A year-round program for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years of age to provide positive experiences through exciting and meaningful youth-run activities that help them pursue their special interests, grow by teaching others, and develop leadership skills.
Exploring - Exploring is a worksite-based program for young men and women who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) through 20 years old. It's purpose is to provide experiences that help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults. Exploring programs are based on five areas of emphasis: career opportunities, life skills, citizenship, character education, and leadership experience.

Scoutreach
Scoutreach is the BSA's commitment to making sure that all young people have an opportunity to join Scouting, regardless of their circumstances, neighborhood, or ethnic background.

Today, young people are faced with many challenges including fragile families and disintegrating neighborhoods. Scoutreach meets the developmental needs of youth in urban settings. The program also focuses on the U.S. rural population, which constitutes approximately 25 percent of the total U.S. population. Some rural communities are stable and growing, whereas others are characterized by decentralized, low-density populations and/or poverty.

Scouting, by emphasizing ethics and moral values, addresses many of the social concerns of parents and youth in our country. Scouting prepares urban and rural youth to be leaders, to accept responsibility, and to care about principles and causes beyond their own self-interest.

How Scouting Make a Difference
Sometimes people ask, "Does Scouting really make a difference in a boy's life". An independent research firm recently did a survey comparing men and boys who had been or are in Scouts with men and boys who had not. Here is what they found:

• 84% of Scouts said that education is very important, only 75% of non-Scouts felt the same.
• 46% of Scouts would tell a teacher or parent if a classmate brought a gun to school, only 30% of non-Scouts would do the same.
• 73% of men who were Scouts said a person should not resort to doing something they know is wrong just to be successful, only 59% of non-Scouts said the same.
  The longer men were in Scouting the more they felt it had a positive impact on their careers, school life, ability to work with others, and their family life.
• 98% of men who were Scouts for 5+ years graduated from high school, only 83% of non-Scouts graduated.
• 40% of men who were Scouts for 5+ years graduated from college, only 16% of non-Scouts graduated.
• 33% of men who were Scouts for 5+ years have a household income over $50,000, only 17% of non-Scouts did.

Yes, Scouting makes a difference. It has worked for millions of boys over the past 98 years and it can work for your son too!

Who Pays for Scouting

Youth Members
Assisted by their parents or guardians, boys in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and young men and women in Venturing pay their share from personal savings and participation in money-earning projects. Members buy their own uniforms, handbooks, and personal equipment and pay their own camp fees.

Units
Weekly or monthly dues and funds from approved money-earning projects meet expenses for supplies and activities in the Cub Scout pack, Boy Scout troop, Venturing crew, or Explorer post. These monies help pay for camping equipment, registration fees, Boys' Life magazine, uniform insignia, special activities, and program materials.

Chartered Organizations
Each chartered organization using the Scouting program provides a meeting place and adult volunteer leadership for its BSA unit(s). The chartered organization and local council must approve unit money-earning projects before the launch of the project.

Local Council
Financial resources for the local council (the local nonprofit corporation chartered by the National Council) come from an annual Friends of Scouting campaign, local United Ways, foundation grants, special events, project sales, investment income, trust funds, bequests, and gifts of real and personal property.

These funds provide for professional staff supervision, organization of new Scouting units, service for existing units, training of volunteer leaders, and maintenance of council camps. They also finance the operation of the local council service center, where volunteer leaders can obtain literature, insignia, advancement badges, and other items vital to the program. In addition, the service center maintains advancement and membership records.

National Organization
Funds to support the national organization of the Boy Scouts of America come from registration fees, local council service fees, investment income, Scouting and Boys' Life magazines, sale of uniforms and equipment, and contributions from individuals. These monies help to deliver the program of the BSA (through four regional service centers and more than 300 local councils) to chartered organizations that use the Scouting program to meet the needs of their youth.

The National Boy Scouts of America Foundation also provides funding for both local council needs and national organization initiatives. Most of this funding comes from specifically designated gifts made to the foundation by individuals, corporations, and other foundations.

The National Office

• Provides local councils with program development and evaluation as well as camp and office planning, extensive financial counseling, planned giving and fund-raising information, and professional personnel support
• Coordinates a communications network through magazines and literature (handbooks, merit badge pamphlets, brochures, training materials, and professional development training)
• Creates a climate of positive understanding and support
  Makes available uniforms, equipment, and program supplies
• Administers national high-adventure bases and national events (jamborees, National Eagle Scout Association and Order of the Arrow conferences, and National Council meetings)
• Maintains communication with chartered organizations that use the Scouting program (religious institutions, civic organizations, labor unions, professional organizations, business, and industry)
• Maintains liaison with Scouting associations in other countries as a member of the World Scout Conference
  

Boys' Life Magazine

Gives your Scouts the BOYS' LIFE ADVANTAGE! Scouts who read BOYS" LIFE.

Stay in Scouting longer
Advance in rank faster and more often
Are more active in Scouting events
Receive stronger support
Become better readers

Published 12 times a year, Boys' Life brings games & puzzles, jokes & riddles, codes & mystery, along with cool stories of Scouts in action, fun places to visit, and Scout skills right into your son's hands. Because it is essential that young people read at a grade level, each edition is actually 3 editions. Boys' Life focuses two demographic-age specific-editions on the reading level needs of our youngest readers: ages 6 to 8 and ages 9 to 10. A third Boys' Life demographic edition goes to subscribers 11 and older. The 12 month subscription rate is only $12.00.

Boy Scouts of America and Congress
For the past 19 congressional sessions, the Boy Scouts of America has surveyed the members of the House and Senate regarding their participation in Scouting. The Marketing & Communications Division compiled the following information concerning the 110th Congress. Nearly 60 percent of congressional members participated in Scouting.

Summary Breakdown of the 110th Congress Scouting Survey

	Senators	Representatives	Total
Scout	35	147	182
Scout and leader	13	38	51
Leader	0	15	15
Grand total	48	200	248

Eagle Scouts and Special Recognitions

	Senators	Representatives	Total
Eagle Scout	10	15	25
Distinguished Eagle Scout	8	4	12
Silver Beaver Award recipient	4	5	9
Silver Buffalo Award recipient	0	1	1
Grand total	21	25	47

Eagle Scouts

Senators
* Lamar Alexander, Tennessee (R)
*Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico (D)
* Sherrod Brown, Ohio (D)
* Thad Cochran, Mississippi (R)
* Michael Crapo, Idaho (R)
* Michael B. Enzi, Wyoming (R)
* Richard G. Lugar, Indiana (R)
* Ben Nelson, Nebraska (D)
* Jeff Sessions, Alabama (R)
* Gordon Smith, Oregon (R)

Representatives
* Gary L. Ackerman, New York (D)
* Sanford Bishop, Georgia (D)
* Russ Carnahan, Missouri (D)
* Jim Cooper, Tennessee (D)
* Louie Gohmert, Texas (R)
* Samuel B. Graves, Missouri (R)
* Jeb Hensarling, Texas (R)
* Michael McNulty, New York (D)
* John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania (D)
* Dana Rohrabacher, California (R)
* Pete Sessions, Texas (R)
* Ike Skelton, Missouri (D)
* Christopher H. Smith, New Jersey (R)
* Bart Stupak, Michigan (D)
* Greg Walden, Oregon, (R)

* Distinguished Eagle Scout