Scouts Unite for Massive Campout

([ Portland], [Or], [04/16/04])—Over 300 Boy Scouts (approximately 20 units) and adult Scout mentors will unite at Willamette Mission State Park during the weekend of April 30 - May 2 for the annual Wapiti District Camporee. Scouts spend the weekend outdoors sharing fellowship, friendly competitions and the Scouting spirit. Scouts from the Wapiti District of the Boy Scouts of America, Cascade Pacific Council live and provide community service in the communities of Tigard, Tualatin, and Sherwood.

Campout events will be offered that teach skills designed to challenge Scouts of all levels. The camporee will include high adventure and competitive activities. Since Boy Scout troops are organized under the leadership of senior youth leaders, young people gain experience to be positive mentors.

Boys ages 7 – 17 interested in joining Scouting are encouraged to visit on Saturday to learn more about the program. There will be displays on Scouting activities and Scout representatives will be present to provide information on meeting nights, locations and exciting summer camp programs for Cub Scout packs (for boys ages 7 – 10) and Boy Scout troops (for boys ages 11 – 17).

Currently, over 1,700 Scouts are served by the Wapiti District, and they belong to over 63 different units. Acting as advisors to these Boy Scout programs are over 700 registered adult mentors who provide character education and citizenship training to youth through weekly activities or meetings.

In addition to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, the Boy Scouts of America offers co-educational programs for young men and women ages 14 – 20. Those programs include: Venturing, youth-led crews that specialize in a variety of vocation and hobby interests that are both service and activity oriented and often include high adventure experiences; Sea Scouting, designed to promote better citizenship and to improve nautical skills and knowledge; and Exploring, a worksite-based program that gives youth an opportunity to visit community organizations and explore the dynamics of various careers. Families wanting more information are urged to contact District Executive Jesse Drake at 503-225-5750 or jdrake@cpcbsa.org. For more information, visit the web site at www.cpcbsa.org.

 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.