Scouting-E-Zine Vol 3 Issue 1

SCOUTER'S DIGEST
Scouting-E-Zine
Volume 3, Issue No. 1, June 5, 2001
Copyright (c) -2001 Honor Publishing Company ;
Scouter's Digest, all rights reserved.
Circulation: 10,496 - advertising opportunities

-----------------------------------------------
WELCOME:
-----------------------------------------------

We would like to welcome Steve Silbiger as our new Associate Editor for the Scouting-E-Zine. Steve is an active Scouter in the Los Angeles Area Council. He is currently serving as District Vice Chair of Finance, as a Unit Commissioner, and as an Associate Order of the Arrow Lodge Adviser. Steve is also involved with Order of the Arrow Training subcommittee, serving on the training staff of for the past 3 NOACs and on the development team of the new National Lodge Adviser Training Seminar. Steve earned the rank of Eagle Scout as youth and has received the District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver, Vigil Honor, and the National OA Distinguished Service Award.

Steve has been writing a weekly newsletter for a small group of Scouters for the last few months and has agreed to continue that newsletter here in the Scouting-E-Zine. With Steves help, we hope to continue this FREE service on a more regular basis. Welcome Steve.

++++++++++++

Quote of the Week:
"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little."

--Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(Second Inaugural Address, January 20, 1937)

-----------------------------------------------
IN THE NEWS:
-----------------------------------------------

Eagle Scout Project Enables Wheelchair Users to Garden (Michigan)
By ANGELA R. GENT

05/29/2001
Associated Press Newswires
Copyright 2001. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

SANDUSKY, Mich. (AP) - Sitting in the golden sunlight, Lena Hanes reached in front of herself to pat down the soil surrounding a red geranium. A smile spread cross her face as she completed her task.
"Thank you so much for letting me do this," she said, looking up from her wheelchair to her helper, 14-year-old Tim Blasius of Port Sanilac, an Eagle Scout with Troop 335. It was the first time in a long time that Hanes, a senior citizen and resident of the Sanilac Medical Care Facility, had planted anything. Traditional flower beds are too low for her and the other residents in wheelchairs to enjoy. Three of the flower beds at the facility now are elevated so that residents in wheelchairs can wheel right up to them.
The raised beds were the brainchild of Tim and his father, Tim Blasius Sr. They teamed up to create the wheelchair-accessible flower and water gardens for the residents as part of Tim's Eagle Scout project last year. Blasius, an occupational therapist who has a clinic at the facility, helped with the design after his son thought up the idea.
"I wanted to do something for seniors, because they're probably the people who need the most help, next to babies," the Eagle Scout said, taking off his soiled garden gloves. "My parents have worked with seniors, and I've grown to like working with seniors, too."
To make sure his idea would work, Tim measured the height of the residents' wheelchairs and calculated how high the beds would have to be. He then worked on getting sponsors to donate the materials. Micoff Concrete in Peck donated several sections of concrete cylinders, which are usually used for sewer systems. Quick Tree Service Landscaping and Nursery in Lexington donated flowers, and Blasius secured four 3-by-5-foot rubberized containers to use as flower beds and a fish pond. Several goldfish and a lily pad will be added to the fish pond as soon as the weather warms up, Blasius said. For an Eagle Scout project to get the go-ahead, it must be approved by the national Boy Scout council, as well as the local council. It took three months for the project to be approved. The beds were put in last August, which did not give the residents much time to enjoy the flowers before autumn set in.
Mid-May provided the perfect weather for the Blasiuses and Tim's friend Bill Falcon to plant 10 flats of geraniums, lobelia, marigolds, impatiens and petunias. "I could get a tan out here," said resident Judy Farley, before wheeling up to the flower bed to help out. "This is great." With a little assistance from Bill, Farley, who is blind, was able to plant several petunias around the perimeter of the flower bed."I used to love to plant flowers," she said as she patted down the soil around a red bloom.
A benefit of the flower beds is their ability to transform memories such as Farley's into reality, said Karen Vargas, program director for the Center for Rehabilitation at Marlette Community Hospital.
"I think what's important about it is that it helps people get back to their daily functions," said Vargas, who visited the Sanilac Medical Care Facility to see the gardens. "This is a rural community, a farming community, so this is what they are used to. It allows them to regain what they used to do before they were ill or injured, and it helps make them more independent." Resident Dee Dunlay was happy to lend a hand."This is good, because you haven't got to bend over to look at them," he said,before picking up a petunia. "It's a lot better than having them down on the ground."
Although residents say they will weed the flowers when necessary, the facility staff is ultimately responsible for the care of the flowers. But when it comes to the planting, the scouts have made a commitment to come back every year to put new flowers in. That doesn't seem to bother Tim."They really enjoy it," he said "They think it's beautiful."

++++++++++++

Scouts keep tradition in Decorating Vets' Graves (Tennessee)

05/27/2001
Associated Press Newswires
Copyright 2001. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Lee Booker poked a tiny American flag into the soil in front of a white headstone. The 15-year-old Boy Scout and hundreds of other Scouts did the same for 46,850 veterans' headstones Saturday at the Memphis National Cemetery in keeping with a Memorial Day weekend tradition Booker has followed for 10 years. Yet, this year is different for Booker. He is among several Boy Scouts who organized the event to reach the pinnacle rank of Eagle Scout."It means a lot to me, coming out here and seeing the veterans," he said as he moved from one grave to the next in a section for unknown soldiers. "When I was a little kid, I didn't think much about it. I just came out here and put some flags out."

Memorial Day, first recognized in 1868, originally was called Decoration Day for the wreaths, crosses and bouquets left on veterans' graves. The name was later changed, and the day was declared a national holiday in 1971. Today, about 200,000 Scouts nationwide decorate veteran cemeteries on the Saturday before Memorial Day.

For the event in Memphis, Booker spent hours rolling thousands of tiny flags and grouping them into bundles of 20 to be placed at the start of each row of headstones at the 44-acre cemetery. The preparation enabled 1,400 Scouts - Boy, Girl, Cub and Brownie - to swoop in and plant the flags in about 30 minutes. A ceremony preceded the decorating of the graves.

Booker's troop also camped at the cemetery Friday and Saturday nights - the first night to prepare for the event and the second night to make sure the flags were not disturbed. Capt. Diane L.H. LoFink, commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Mid-South, said the tradition not only commemorates fallen soldiers but also educates future soldiers and leaders.

++++++++++++

United Way and Chicago Area Council of Boy Scouts Reach Agreement on Funding Youth Programs (Illinois)

05/31/2001
PR Newswire
(Copyright (c) 2001, PR Newswire)
CHICAGO, May 31 /PR Newswire/ -- United Way in Chicago and the Chicago Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) have reached an agreement that will continue United Way support for Scout programs that are open to all youth. The agreement was reached after extensive discussions between the two organizations following a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June, which granted the BSA the right to establish membership and leadership criteria as a private organization. The Supreme Court case arose out of a New Jersey Boy Scout council's decision to expel a Scout leader who had identified himself as gay. The program that United Way money will support is called Learning for Life. It helps boys and girls in the public schools develop life skills and explore career opportunities. The program is offered in over 60 Chicago public schools and includes worksite-based learning through hospitals, police departments, law firms and other businesses. Some 30,000 children and youth, many from high-need neighborhoods in the city, benefit from the program. Because

Learning for Life is open to all youth, it is consistent with United Way values."Our desire is and has been to continue to support important community programs that are non-discriminatory," said Hugh Parry, Interim President of United Way." United Way in Chicago feels very strongly about supporting diversity and inclusion, and helping fund the Learning for Life program allows us to continue to support those values."

The school-based curriculum is age-appropriate and grade-specific and is designed to integrate into the core curriculum for grades K-12. The curriculum is comprised of three educational initiatives that complement public school instruction: character education (e.g. ethical decision-making, coping skills), education to careers and service learning. Parry said the agreement "will allow United Way to continue to fund important programs that teach at-risk children and youth life skills and help them achieve their full potential."

Jim Stone, Scout Executive of the Chicago Area Council of Boy Scouts, said the discussions between the Scout council and United Way aimed to keep the long-standing partnership together. "This agreement allows us to keep working together," said Stone. "United Way is an important organization for the community, and our hope is that the entire community will continue to support United Way as well as the Boy Scouts."

The Learning for Life program is supported by money from United Way's Community Fund. Last year, United Way in Chicago provided $424,866 in funding to the Chicago Area Council and a similar amount will be allocated this year for the Learning for Life program.

++++++++++++

Andrew Jackson Council says it was time for change (Michigan)

09:34 ET
Associated Press Newswires
Copyright 2001. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Boy Scout council representing troops in 22 southwest Mississippi counties is replacing a patch that features the state flag with one sporting the face of Andrew Jackson.

Officials with the Andrew Jackson Council of the Boy Scouts of America said the decision to go with Ole Hickory was not based on complaints about the 1894 Mississippi state flag and its Confederate battle emblem. Mississippi voters overwhelmingly supported the current flag design in an April 17 election, rejecting a new flag that would have replaced the Rebel X with a field of stars.

"We just decided it was time for a change," Larry Smith, the council's assistant executive director, said Thursday of the shoulder patch change. "We heard no complaints about the old one."

Josie Loveless, Scoutmaster of Troop 701 based at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Jackson, said he had heard complaints from parents in the black community through most of the 32 years the flag had been on the patch."I like the new one," said Loveless, who has been associated with scouting 29 years and has 64 boys in Cub and Boy Scout troops. "It has a picture of our namesake and it does not have the Confederate flag which offends some of our parents."

John Miles, who heads the council's western district, said he believes the change was needed."The new patch more accurately portrays our goals and better serves our constituency as it is today," said Miles, senior vice president of a chemical company in Vicksburg. "That has changed over the past 30 years." Sam Walker, former Cub master in Madison, also supported the unanimous vote of the council's executive board on March 22."It shows progressive thinking," said Walker, a Jackson bank executive, who is black. "They probably put a lot of thought into it and decided the change reflected their goals for the future."

Neil Wilfong of Brandon, a state flag supporter, disagreed with the decision."I don't think they should change it because it is our official state flag," Wilfong said. Barney McKay, assistant Scoutmaster of Troop 29 in Brandon, understands the change."The flag doesn't mean slavery to me, although it may to other people," McKay said. "I would have more of a problem if they were to try to change the name of our council from Andrew Jackson than changing the patch."

At least two other councils in the state have had depictions of state flags on scout uniforms. The Pushmataha Area Council, based in Columbus, has a small state flag on its patch. Noel Evans, district executive for the Choctaw Area Council based in Meridian, said the state flag was removed from their council's uniform two years ago."We had the flags of Mississippi and Alabama, but we have a big 2000 and a spread eagle now," said Evans, whose district includes Lauderdale, Clarke, Kemper, Newton and Neshoba counties and Choctaw County in Alabama. "We didn't change because of complaints over the flag."

The new patches will not be available until the end of June, Smith said.

++++++++++++

Boy Scouts to take over Seward waterfront (Alaska)

05/31/2001

SEWARD (AP) - Seward's waterfront campground will take on a different look next week as recreation vehicles give way to hundreds of Boy Scout tents. The three-day Alaskan Odyssey Jamboree kicking off next Thursday is expected to bring more than 2,000 Boy Scouts to the area, organizers said.

Add in families, drivers, scout leaders and staff, and the number jumps to 5,000, according to Grant Fry, district director of the Boy Scouts Western Alaska Council. "Jammed in that's where the term jamboree comes from," said local Boy Scout organizer Kerry Martin.

Jamborees are a long-time favorite of the scouting community both nationally and internationally. Fry said that before moving to Alaska, he organized a jamboree in Utah that attracted 30,000 participants. "Here, we had to put a limit on the number. There's only so much seaside space," he said.

Publicizing the event was one of the bigger challenges. There are three Boy Scout councils in the state and they include troops from Ketchikan to Barrow. Martin expects most campers will come from Anchorage, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and the Kenai Peninsula, with some from Fairbanks and Canada.

Most will be 11-13 years old. Scouts will take part in sea kayaking out at Lowell Point and climbing at Exit Glacier, and will have the option of activities that include glacier and marine wildlife cruises, tours of the Seward Museum and the Alaska SeaLife Center, and hiking on various trails. "The idea is to spread out the activities so everyone's not in one place," Martin told the Seward Phoenix LOG.

Fry said scouts who are age 14 and older will have the opportunity to travel on
a U.S. Coast Guard cutter as it patrols the waters of Resurrection Bay.

++++++++++++

NE Florida chapter formed to help the Eagle Scouts soar (Florida)
Eric Cravey
A group of area businessmen who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout helped form the National Eagle Scout Association, North Florida Council Chapter (NESA). Reynold Hoover, an attorney with Jacksonville law firm Smith, Hulsey and Busey is president of the chapter launched April 8 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville.

About 120 Eagle Scouts attended the first meeting, he said. Research from the Boy Scouts of America shows there are about 3,000 Eagle Scouts living in Northeast Florida. "We're trying to reach out to those Eagles so they can then become a resource to the council and then to the scouts as they progress on their own road to Eagle Scout," said Hoover, a West Point graduate.

Before law school, Hoover served 11 years as an agent for the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and was based at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, Ga. Hoover works with Bill McCamy, the vice president of programs for the North Florida Council of the BSA to identify local Eagle Scouts who can volunteer as NESA board members.

"I want to give every single boy who enters scouts a chance to become Eagle Scout," McCamy said. The NESA chapter is particularly eager for a Gainesville-area Eagle Scout to serve on its board. "We're in the stage of trying to gather up all the Eagles," Hoover said. "Then, we have a number of projects we'd like to start working on. Some of them are financial in nature, such as improvements at some of the council's camps."

The local NESA chapter is planning another event in July to rally more interest in the chapter. "We want to have at least two or three functions a year," Hoover said. "It's also a way for young scouts to meet other people and get some help through the program."

In 1996, McCamy helped to implement a program aimed at increasing Eagle Scout completion. The program spells out the steps a teenager needs to reach Eagle Scout, which can sometimes coincide with a number of distractions like getting a summer job, a driver's license and dating. "Certainly today, there are a lot of distractions for a young boy in the scouting program but we think we can offer an alternative that builds on character and community service," Hoover said.

++++++++++++

Boy Scout gathering: teamwork, lots of knots (California)
ANNUAL SCOUT-O-RAMA TESTS TALENTS OF 1,000
BY SANDRA GONZALES
Mercury News
Scouts were everywhere: panning for gold, tying elaborate knots and gliding on a cable car river-crossing built from heavy rope and tree trunks.

More than 1,000 Scouts -- ranging in age from 7-year-old Cubs to 18-year-old Boy Scouts -- from Alameda and San Francisco counties converged at Hayward's Kennedy Park for the San Francisco Bay Area Council's annual Scout-O-Rama to showcase their skills and, more to the point, to have fun.

``They get to share ideas and learn new things,'' said Nancy Pouliukonis, one of the adult leaders for Troop 931 in Livermore. Whether it was zipping along a makeshift rope line or cooking in a cardboard-box oven, the bottom line of Saturday's activities, said Pouliukonis, was to build character, fitness and citizenship.

So it was only natural that 50 immigrants became naturalized U.S. citizens in a special swearing-in ceremony sponsored by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. Since Saturday's Scout-O-Rama also had a law-enforcement theme, agencies such as the California Highway Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard ringed the park in booths or specialty vehicles, providing information to Explorers -- members of a work-site-based program for young men and women ages 14 through 20 -- who were interested in law-enforcement careers.

Even Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer, a former Boy Scout, got in on the action. He was awarded the commemorative bugle for his years of service and leadership. But the heart of Saturday's events were the intricate works by the Scouts themselves. Pierre Reed tugged and pulled the heavy rope as two younger Scouts in his troop helped make a bridge from heavy wooden sticks and rope, a crossing that would ultimately allow one to pass over a river or creek.

At 15, Pierre was one of the young leaders of Troop 271 from Oakland. ``It keeps me busy and out of trouble. Besides it's fun,'' he said of Scouting, which he's been a part of since he was 10.

As to whether he'd ever need to make use of the rope bridge, Pierre shrugged and said, ``Probably not.'' Nonetheless, he aimed for perfection. One hour later, with the rope bridge constructed and set in place, he noticed a stick slightly askew. ``We need to fix that,'' Pierre said. So they did. ``It's cool,'' he said, smiling, finally, at their handiwork.

Across the park, Spencer Holmes, 11, showed off his cooking skills as Fremont's Troop 143 made biscuits in Dutch ovens and pancakes on hot griddles. Spencer conceded he was hardly an expert but added shyly, ``not yet.''

++++++++++++

Scout's deed brings chapel back to life (Maryland)
Teen-ager organizes volunteers in project at Springfield Hospital

By Mary Gail Hare
Sun Staff

With dozens of buildings sprawling across its 500-acre campus, Springfield Hospital Center's small maintenance crew has little time to tend to the modest white chapel, the church home to many patients and staff. And although the 20-year- old modular building had lost its luster and needed many minor repairs, the Springfield administration had no immediate plans to refurbish the chapel.

So when 13-year-old Dennis Kast Jr. offered last year to do the work for his Eagle Scout project, the Sykesville hospital agreed. "I saw a building that needed work and a community that could benefit from work like this," said Dennis, who is now 14 and finishing his freshman year at Liberty High School in Eldersburg.

The one-story building with a faux steeple has been a source of solace and comfort to patients and staff at the state-run hospital for the mentally ill."For a lot of our patients, all that is left for them is faith, and here is where they practice it," said Betty Jean Maus, director of volunteer services.

"Some patients can't read, but they know the hymns. When they sing, they make the services so touching." With no money for maintenance and a dwindling pool of volunteers, the chapel dulled with age.

Maus acknowledged that she was a bit skeptical about Dennis' offer."When somebody 13 comes in and wants to remodel a building, you are taken aback," said Maus, who has worked with volunteers for most of her 46 years at Springfield. "But I have always worked with kids and I have a lot of confidence in them. I thought maybe Dennis could do a better job than us."

The teen-ager "had a plan and a lot of help and encouragement," Maus said. Dennis recruited volunteers, pulling his three older sisters, parents Jeanie and Dennis Kast Sr. and about 20 others into the work. He also raised the $750 he needed for supplies - $500 of it donated by the Randallstown Knights of Columbus.

It took a lot of labor and three long, hot Saturdays last summer before the chapel was fully refurbished inside and out. Volunteers began the days early and had to have all the work cleaned up so as not to hinder Sunday services. Dennis bought 25 gallons of the brightest white paint he could find."It had to be white, so I picked the good stuff, paint that will last a long time," Dennis said. "I wanted to do it in one coat."

Volunteers applied 18 gallons to the walls and ceiling and then donated the remaining paint to the hospital."We had people painting everywhere, in every corner," Maus said. "But we had the chapel ready for services the next day, with no messes. The patients noticed the new paint immediately."

The volunteers returned two more Saturdays. Fellow Scouts, all members of Troop 970, which meets at Holy Family Church in Randallstown, did a general cleaning. They trimmed the shrubs and spruced up the flower beds. "There was an incentive: free lunch," Dennis said. Others repaired the woodwork, scrubbed away rust stains and hammered the dents out of spouts. They mounted soap and towel dispensers on the bathroom walls. Nicole Kast, 21, made several trips to Eldersburg paint stores, looking for just the right shade of brown to touch up the aging pews. A synagogue in Baltimore that closed about the time the chapel was built had donated the benches with one stipulation: They were historic and could not be altered.

"Everyone helped," Melinda Kast, 18, said. "We did whatever my brother said to do. It was not so he could get to be an Eagle Scout. We all knew this was a project that would benefit a lot of people." The last day was reserved for an inspection."Then it was just me and my dad," Dennis said. "We wanted to make sure we had covered everything. We even fixed the cracking cement in the foundation." The chapel seems renewed, Maus said. Before there was a Springfield chapel, "we worshipped wherever they put us, and we could never leave a church set up," Maus said.

Every Saturday evening for years, she and her husband, Bernard, Springfield's maintenance supervisor who is now deceased, would set up a space for Sunday worship and then store the makeshift altar and articles of worship for the next Sunday. Maus remembered the struggle volunteers had to raise money and bring the chapel to the campus. Bernard Maus and several volunteers helped erect the building when it arrived on the hospital campus in two pieces in 1981. "It was a dream we thought would never happen," Maus said. "When it finally became a reality in 1981, I stood out here and cried."

The hospital donated an organ. Other gifts soon followed: a piano, window shade, brass candlesticks and a red velvet drape hung behind the altar."Most everything here has been donated in memory of someone," Maus said. The chapel soon became a church home to all denominations and a favorite gathering place for reverent celebrations, weddings and funerals.

Dennis, who documented the project, became an Eagle Scout last week in a ceremony at the hospital. It drew about 150 of his family and friends, too many for the chapel, but nearly everyone visited the restored building. "This really shows that working together works," Dennis said.

And in the chapel foyer hangs a plaque thanking volunteer Dennis Kast Jr.

++++++++++++

Scout organizes blood drive for Eagle award (Pennsylvania)
By John Hanna , Times Staff

Michael Pons, 18, of Moon Township, the 33rd Eagle Scout to emerge from Boy Scout Troop 164 in Sewickley, found his community service project on the Internet.

"I was going to build two dugouts at the field where my sister plays softball, but it was too hard to get enough people out at the same time to do it," said the Moon Area High School senior.

"In researching on the Internet, I got the idea of doing a blood drive because I learned that for every unit of blood donated, three lives can be saved." Pons contacted the Central Blood Bank in Pittsburgh and organized a blood drive at his father's office building in Robinson Township. Members of his troop helped distribute posters and assisted at the drive itself in February at the Computer Associates building.

The goal was to collect 50 units of blood, but he collected 73. On May 19, Pons formally received his Eagle Scout rank at a ceremony at St. Stephen Episcopal Church in Sewickley.

Pons became a Cub Scout at age 7 when his family lived in Baltimore. He joined Troop 164 when he moved to Moon in 1996. His father, Steven, is the troop's Scoutmaster. His mother, Leeann, is a troop committee chairwoman, and his sister, Sarah, 11, is a Girl Scout. Baby sister Nicole, 1, hasn't made up her mind yet.

During his Scouting career, Pons has held just about every position in the troop and is now assistant Scoutmaster. Highlights include his participation in the 1997 National Jamboree and the Greater Pittsburgh Councils Junior Leader Training program.

Pons played varsity football for four years and was an All-Parkway Conference selection this year. He also was a member of the Chamber Ensemble Chorus at Moon Area High. After working as a security guard this summer, Pons plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh in the fall to study business and finance.

++++++++++++

-----------------------------------------------
STORIES:
-----------------------------------------------
DO YOU HAVE A GREAT STORY TO TELL?

What's going on in your Troop, Pack, or District? Do you have a humorous story about your Scouts and a pesky skunk? How about the time your Scoutmaster got lost and the Scouts saved the day. Tell us your story. We want to share your Scouting stories with all of our readers and bring a little fun and excitement to this E-Zine.

-----------------------------------------------
SCOUTMASTER'S MINUTE
-----------------------------------------------
A Scout is Friendly

In a small camp in Oklahoma, Bobby, a young Scout who had been in the troop only a few short and disappointing months, stepped back from the spattering frying pan. He never dreamed there were so many ways to ruin fried chicken, burn bread, or what would happen if you mixed the powdered soap with the powdered milk. Maybe this "Scout Thing" was a big mistake.

One hot afternoon, he got into a terrible argument with another Scout about some silly little thing and decided enough was enough and shouted "That's it! I'm leaving!" He had hoped that joining the Scouts would help him, he seemed to be having a lot of things go wrong lately, but now he would just add this "mistake" to the list.

As he bundled up his pack and sleeping bag, and stomped down the dirt road towards the camp office to call his Mom, he noticed two other Scouts with their packs and sleeping bags walking back towards him.

His face tear-streaked but determined, Bobby asked the other Scouts where they were going. The other Scouts explained that they too were going to go home, but changed their minds. It seems that they both had just met at the camp office, started talking to each other and decided that things weren't so bad after all. Besides, tonight was "pizza night" and tomorrow was "lake day", the day when all of the Scouts got to swim in the lake. The two Scouts asked Bobby if he would like to join them and be friends. After a while they convinced Bobby to stay and all three of them wound up becoming best friends having a great summer camp. That's all Bobby really needed; someone who would take a little time to talk to him, understand him, and was willing to be a friend.

"A Scout is Friendly"

-----------------------------------------------
SCOUT'S OWN:
-----------------------------------------------
The Philmont Grace
(For meal times)

For food, for raiment,

For life, for opportunity,

For Friendship and fellowship

We thank thee, O Lord.

----------------------------------------------
Legal Stuff:

THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. The information contained in this document represents the current views of Honor Publishing Company on the issues discussed as of the date of this publication. Because Honor Publishing Company must respond to the policies of the Boy Scouts of America, World Scouting Organization, and to the needs of our Scouting audience, all articles and stories appearing herein will strictly adhere to the Boy Scout Oath & Law. Discussions of highly controversial subjects will only bear mention if cited in the national news. Honor Publishing Company cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.

INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT.

The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this document. This document may be copied and distributed subject to the following conditions: 1. All text must be copied without modification and all pages of each article or story must be included 2. All copies must contain Honor Publishing Company copyright notice and any other notices provided therein 3. This document may not be distributed for profit.

Scouter's Digest Magazine and Scouting-E-Zine are NOT a publications of the Boy Scouts of America and are NOT affiliated, in any way, with Scouting Magazine, BOYS' LIFE Magazine, SCOUTER Magazine, or any other independent Scouting magazine or newsletters.

Editor: Dave Tracewell
Senior Editor: "Big Ed" Henderson Associate Editor: Steve Silbiger

----------------------------------------------------------
This Free Bimonthly e-magazine is sent to Adult Leaders of Youth organizations like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, & Boys & Girls Clubs. If you would like to receive this publication simply click here to join. If you feel this e-magazine is of value and would like to share it with your friends, click here to refer them to this list. We will give them an opportunity to join as well. If, for any reason, you do not want to receive this publication, simply click here to be removed from our list.

++++++++++++

If you have a Scouting or Youth Group news item or story to tell, Scouting-E-Zine would love to hear from you. Please click here to find out how your story or news release can appear in the next issue.

++++++++++++

We count on our readers to provide much of the National News we provide here at the Scouting-E-Zine. Without your "Eyes & Ears", it is difficult to discover what is going on in our home towns and councils. If you have a worthy news item to share, please e-mail us here at info@honorpub.com .

++++++++++++

DO YOU HAVE A GREAT STORY TO TELL?

Just A Minute...

Only $ 9.95