Portland Mayor Vera Katz Applauds Contributions of the Boy Scouts of America

([ Portland], [Or], [04/16/04])—Portland Mayor Vera Katz extended her support of the Boy Scouts of America and the organization’s newest initiative, “Good Turn for America,” a national call to service to provide food and shelter and develop good habits in the nation. Katz expressed her support in a recent letter to the Chief Scout Executive at the National office of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

“The City is honored to have this long-standing organization,” she said. “I applaud the contributions of the Boy Scouts of America. They dedicate time and energy to community service, prepare our youth for the future and build stronger communities.”

The newest initiative Katz refers to “Good Turn for America” was launched in February during BSA's 94th Anniversary.

“This initiative is an effort to increase community participation in serving others,” said Ron Garland, Scout Executive of the Cascade Pacific Council, Boy Scouts of America.

The BSA has partnered nationally with The Salivation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and the American Red Cross. Collectively these service-oriented organizations are asking every American to address the food, shelter and health needs of communities. From serving food to the needy to beautification projects and food, clothing and blood drives this initiative is designed to meet the objectives of three critical problems Americans face: homelessness, hunger and poor health.

“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 into the community. You don't have to be a member of Scouting to participate in many of the public service projects.”

Locally Scout units are just starting to prepare plans to effectively carry out projects in the three areas of emphasis. Currently council wide 19 units have reported 22 total projects, with 2,096 total service hours, but according to Jim Hill, BSA Program Director this is just the beginning.

“We anticipate great participation in Good Turn for America,” he says. “Stay tuned for a future report on upcoming Scout projects. We expect great things to happen.”

If you would like to assist the Scouts in their efforts or gain additional information on upcoming projects, please contact the Cascade Pacific Council at 503-226-3423

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 47,889 youth in 18 counties in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington, and is supported by more than 15,902 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 362,895 pounds of usable clothing and household goods for Goodwill Industries in 2004. Over the past ten years, 4.2 million pounds have been collected.

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 519,766 pounds of food for local hunger relief agencies through the Scouting for Food drive in December 2003.

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.

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