Scout Update

Development

This fall our development committee will conduct two very exciting events. Our annual Salute to Scouting will be held this November. The awards will be presented to Bill Bacic, on behalf of Deloitte who will receive the Second Century of Scouting Award, and Chris and Jean Egan who will receive the Ralph Lowell, Good Scout Award.

New this fall the development committee will launch a Good Scout Event specific to the hospitality industry. The steering committee is comprised of Jim Dina, Tom Kershaw and Jim Carmody and the award recipient is Peter Christie, President and CEO of the MA Restaurant Association. The event will be held at the Seaport Hotel.

Two great initiatives!

1.     Scouting for Food: All five councils in Eastern MA have combined our energy to create a large scale community service effort. This November 2nd in partnership with Fox25 Television, Clear Channel Outdoor 30,000 Scouts will canvas every community from Plymouth to Portsmouth NH and aim to collect over 500,000 food items for the needy in eastern MA

2.       Child Safety: The BSA is hosting a best practices workshop this fall for all youth serving agencies in Eastern MA.  Former US Senator and First Class Scout, Scott Brown has agreed to chair the event and will be inviting leaders from child protective services, youth serving agencies, law enforcement and other government agencies to share and improve our child safety practices.

Camp

More and more Scouts continue to attend each year!  As we wrap up our camp season we can look back and take pride in the quality and safety of our camps and for the third year in a row camp attendance has grown. This year’s growth was just under 10% and the total increase in campers in the past three summers is almost 600 additional campers spread across three camps. 

Properties and Partnerships

As part of our strategic plan we sought to find likeminded partners to help utilize the expansive property assets of the BSA and provide additional support for programs and properties that service scouting exclusively.

·         Shamrock Pools – re-opened our Egan Center pool this past January and the program has been wonderful. Our Scouts use the pool on weekends and during camp, while Shamrock uses it weekdays and evenings.

·         Camp Inter Action – A program for visually impaired children, rented Camp Massasoit this summer

·         Camp Beam – our long term tenant at Parker Mountain camp enjoyed their fifth year in partnership with the BSA

·         Annawon Council – by combining our family camp with Annawon’s property and their day camp all the Scouts benefited from the efficiency and program!

By partnering with these organizations Boston Minuteman Council can better focus on our core competencies and core programs. As part of that focus we have several board members along with the Staff alumni have raised $150,000 to be invested in Camp Sayre and Storer Scout Reservation.  We have been steadily improving our camping facilities over the past two years – however, this support will dramatically increase rate and scope of the improvement projects. 

Here We Go!

After a decade of struggles Boston Minuteman Council is about to enter a new and final phase of re-vitalization. As this final chapter opens we can already see it's conclusion on the horizon.

We have been talking about the revitalization for the past few years, and we see it in different terms, Urban Scouting, SOAR, the balanced budget, the strategic plan etc. The basic premise of the revitalization has been for more than a series of projects. It's been a cultural shift and a change in how we see Scouting's future.

1. People want Scouting to thrive we simply have shift our paradigm to create an environment that brings new people and talent into the program.

2. Program First! While it took a little while to get things organized, shifted and re-purposed we can now look back and see SOAR, April STEM Camp, Boy Scout Day Camp, the improvements for Family Camp and all the weekend Programs at Sayre.

3.  Tough decisions - transparent and well thought out. From the strategic plan and the debt elimination through all the smaller decisions about when, why and who takes on each initiative each decision was upfront and designed to leverage the next step. You can see the forward thinking at Norse when you use the catapults, or the tomahawk range at Sayre, or the archery range at Storer and the BB range at Sayre. Each project is linked and grows from the previous project. By having a long range plan and sticking with it - everyone benefits.

4. Optimism and Enthusiasm - everyone in this program believes in the power of Scouting! By focusing on our positive common ground, each step in the process brings out the best in all of us

5. No one is perfect, but everyone is human. Everyone does the best they can. However, things still get dropped and sometimes we end up on the short end of the stick. Rather than falling to the blame trap of that person or entity chooses to do a poor job - we rise above it figure out the situation. As it turns out we often realize that the person is in the wrong spot, or the process needs to be updated. 

All this positivism spreads, and we can appreciate where we have come from. The battle to revitalize Scouting throughout Boston was not a battle over the debt (that's only part of it) it is a battle over the culture that caused the debt. It required a whole new way of looking at Scouting. We are not done yet - but we are close!

Look for lots of updates prior to Labor Day

1. Scouting for Food - a massive five council initiative to help eliminate hunger (at least temporarily) in our communities (Nov 2)

2. Outdoor Apprentice - look for program benefits and discounts for all units and year round outdoor adventures for all ages

3. Membership Growth - Back on track, 2012 was difficult let's regain those families and more than never joined in 2012

4. Leader in Child Safety - Scott Brown, past US Senator (and First Class Scout) has agreed to chair a state-wide child safety symposium for all youth serving non-profits and youth serving agencies. Boston Minuteman will serve as the host organization.

5. Winter Camp and Vacation Camp at Camp Sayre!

6. and more .... but we'll save a few announcements :)

Final Comment - there is a lot of work still to be done, I have no delusions about that. Each stumble is a learning exercise, and each learning exercise helps us get stronger. With our thin staff, I alternate between a 30,000 foot view and a deep-in-the-weeds view - so I can see the errors CLEAR AS DAY! I can also see the horizon, between both view points I thought I'd share the realistic / optimistic "heads up" about our future. See you around the campfire!

Michelle's Eulogy (I was too sad to post when she passed)

My thoughts about Boston Minuteman Council’s First Family of Scouting, words cannot express my sorrow for your loss. Scouting in Boston Minuteman was better because of Michelle. She brightened the life of every Scout she helped. Being a camp director isn’t easy. It requires long hours, tough decisions, silly skits, personal sacrifice, and great support. 

My practical and spiritual observation does not permit me to believe she is truly gone. In fact, quite the opposite, she made an indelible impression on each of us. That impression becomes part of us. You see, Scouting lives primarily through oral tradition. There are countless examples of generational traditions passed from one Scouter to another, stories told around the campfire, roundtables, training programs, ceremonies, and legacies that still teach. I earned my Environmental Science merit badge from Buell Fuller, spoke with Howie about my decision to join the profession, and I pass along “camp director wisdom” to Nikki that was passed on to me, that originated from Tony Toto. In these ways our past leaders are always with us. 

Michelle has helped countless Scouts and guided hundreds of Cub leaders and parents. Her impact on the Scouting community has only just begun. 20 years from now a Cub Camp Director will strive to run camp “as well as Michelle Theberge did.” It’s more than a legacy, it’s a living breathing spirit that continues to guide and inspire Scouters. 

But Michelle is so much more than a great camp director. She is a great wife and mother. Let’s think about her and Ray for a moment. Here we have two wonderfully talented, hard-working, deep feeling, and charismatic leaders.  They are a couple that make marriage look easy. Ray gives to Scouting while Michelle supports, later that same day Michelle takes the lead while Ray supports her. It’s a dance that transcends ego. Each is visibly proud of the others accomplishments. Not because of what the other did – but because of what the other gave.

Giving is a significant part of Michelle. In fact it’s a significant part of the entire Theberge family. Jon, Cece and Luke are clearly their mom’s children. At such a young age they each exhibit her grace and sunny disposition. As camp staffers and the children of the Scout Master they learn quickly to give of themselves and to share their parents with the rest of the camp staff or the troop. This is never easy. Teens often want (and need) to distance themselves from their parents. However, to get a real sense of these kids - watch how they interact with each other and their peers.  They exhibit leadership and a genuine care for each other. Not the type of leadership that comes from barking orders, they show their servant leadership.

And that’s Michelle living through her children. She knew that leadership wasn’t about being in charge – well, sometimes she liked to be in charge. I guess that’s part of the human condition. But, it’s always easy to see that her desire to accomplish, achieve or strive to run a better camp comes from a pure altruistic place.

In Scouting it’s true that you shouldn’t need to wear your uniform for people to know you are a scout, people should know it by how you act. Let’s go back to the human condition – the need to be in charge – and let’s think about the wonderful balance that she and Ray exhibit through their marriage. The only way two people, under the same roof,  with such talent and drive, don’t allow their egos to clash is by allowing the Grace of God to flow through them.   

In some faith traditions during the “baptism” in addition to being dedicated to the church the congregation dedicates itself – all the individuals – to the child. In this way all the parishioners are bound to the welfare of the baby. They all become a community of parents. This gives license for experienced moms to offer help to new moms, and for every parent to enforce commonly held rules and behaviors. It is the oral tradition. This idea of working together for the common good of all the children was something Michelle showed us every day. This is what drives the success of Girl Scout Troop 74107, Camp Massasoit and the entire Theberge family.   

Michelle allowed God to flow through her and into each one of us. She is alive in each of us. And as such we are bound to each other, as community parents, and we are bound Jon, Cece, Luke and Ray

My love, prayers and gratitude are with your whole family today and every day.

Amen