Boy Scouts of America Expands on Good Turn for America Initiative

([ Portland], [Or], [03/11/04])— In an effort to increase community participation in serving others, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), Cascade Pacific Council is participating in Good Turn for America, a national initiative designed to increase collaborations between the millions of BSA members and other groups/organizations to better meet community needs.

“Scouting’s oath to America has always been to serve other people at all times. We take that oath very seriously and provide an average of 48 million hours of service in communities throughout the country each year,” states Roy L. Williams, National Chief Scout Executive of the BSA. “While this is a Scouting initiative, it is meant to include everyone in the community. You don't have to be a member of Scouting to participate in many of the public service projects.”

Nationally, the Boy Scouts of America, The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and the American Red Cross are collectively asking every American to address the food, shelter, and health needs of communities. Through the combined efforts of these organizations and other groups that provide similar service in communities around the country, families will have sufficient food to eat, homelessness can be reduced, and the growing number of obese individuals will dwindle. Through Good Turn for America, everyone can do something to make a difference in the lives of others.

Local Good Turn for America projects include:

Food	Shelter	Health Needs
Food drives Preparing and serving food to the needy Delivering meals to the homebound and elderly	Home building and home maintenance projects Community beautification projects Collecting clothing, toys, gifts, and school supplies for shelters Conducting fundraisers for non-profit shelters	Inspiring people to healthier living Fun run/walk/cycle events Fitness contests Good nutrition activities Blood drives Promote drug abuse awareness Promote and conduct health screenings Offer flu shots and fitness seminars Distribute organ donor cards Conduct a child fingerprinting event Safety and emergency preparedness projects

 

Boy Scouts of America – Connecting youth with communities and families.

About the Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America

The Cascade Pacific Council ranks among the nation’s largest Scout councils (out of 319) in terms of membership. The Cascade Pacific Council serves more than 47,880 youth in 18 counties in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington, and is supported by more than 15,900 adult volunteer mentors.

Local Boy Scouts of America Accomplishments

This last year (2003) Scouts of the Cascade Pacific Council reached out to the community and achieved the following outstanding accomplishments:  

Goodwill/Good Turn – Scouts collected approximately 340,000 pounds of usable clothing and household goods for Goodwill Industries.  

Camping Program – The Cascade Pacific Council has one of the strongest outdoor camping programs in the country, camping 11,000 boys at seven summer resident camps and ten day camps last year.  

Scouting for Food – Scouts collected 494,799 pounds of food for local hunger relief agencies through the Scouting for Food drive.  

Guy Miller Tree Plant – Over 2,500 youth and family members planted nearly 37,500 tree seedlings in our forests and neighborhoods in support of the Guy Miller Tree Plant program. Since 1977, this program has accounted for the planting of more than 2 million trees. 

Violence Free Spring Break – In partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, the Police Activities League, Multnomah County, Boys and Girls Club, and other organizations, the Cascade Pacific Council has planned, coordinated and staffed special events like “Violence Free Spring Break.” Over 375 youth were served for this event alone. These events use Scouting facilities and curriculums to deliver positive, values-based programs.

Outreach – Over $29,930 in scholarships was awarded to over 536 youth members for summer camp.