RememberSchiff

April 20, 2020: Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania has canceled all summer day and resident camps. “We look forward to summer at camp as much as our girls and volunteers, but our priority is protecting the health and safety of everyone in our Girl Scout family,” said Patricia A. Burkart, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania, in a press release. The closure covers Girl Scout properties at Camp Hawthorne Ridge, Camp Redwing, Camp Skymeadow, and Camp Conshatawba through August 31, 2020. It applies to summer resident camps, troop and service unit camping, events, volunteer-led day camps, and rentals. Those who have already registered for Girl Scout camps will receive a full refund, including deposits. The Girl Scouts are working on developing “safe outdoor opportunities,” including virtual programs and guidance for earning badges at home. They will unveil their schedule of “remote outdoor programming” on June 1. More at source: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/04/20/Girl-Scouts-cancel-summer-camps-western-pa-pittsburgh/stories/202004200097

Boy Scouts from New York donated more than 17,000 neckerchiefs to hospitals and community organizations to provide non-medical face masks for New Yorkers. ... The idea came from Jacob Finch, an Eagle Scout from Ballston Spa, NY, who suggested that the Scouts could donate unused neckerchiefs as face masks. more at source: https://www.amny.com/coronavirus/new-york-boy-scouts-donate-17000-neckerchiefs-for-non-medical-face-masks/

Some of the "regulatory" issues are self-inflicted and redundant processes ( note: state health agencies already regulate and inspect camps) - "Part of the process of running a Boy Scout Camp is the lengthy and tiresome process of obtaining a National Camping Accreditation Program (NCAP) banner stating the camp is up to National regulations and adheres to all safety guidelines, health regulations and the Camp Staff is properly trained... On Wednesday, June 21st, 2017, the camp staff participated in an on-site inspection by the NCAP team which went through the hundreds of pages of standards and inspected the camp facilities. Tension was high as the process is no walk in the park, but our staff’s efforts were well rewarded at the end of the day." https://vhcbsa.org/camp-verdugo-oaks-ncap-accredited/ In 2013, the Boy Scouts of America will begin transitioning to the National Camp Accreditation Program (NCAP) to accredit council-organized camps for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts,and Venturers. Scouting’s goal in this transition is summarized in the purpose of the NCAP: The purpose of the Boy Scouts of America’s National Camp Accreditation Program is to help councils elevate camps to new levels of excellence in delivering Scouting’s promise to youth. Councils will engage in a rigorous review of camps and properties, continuous improvement, and correction or elimination of substandard practices.This introduction outlines the major elements of the NCAP and the critical role that the council, area, and region will play in raising BSA camping to an ever higher level of performance https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/outdoor program/pdf/430-077_wb.pdf IMO, NCAP should be reconsidered. Maybe downsize scope to just training camp staff. I didn't see the need then for NCAP and have not seen the benefit since. Council volunteers, local business support, and state sanitation regulations have driven camp program improvements here. As for insurance, Council should be free to shop and compare quotes. Another $0.02,

I made my 7am senior citizen shopping trip this morning. Usually this day, Patriots' Day, sometimes called Boston Marathon Day has everyone - runners, wannabes, families - running around all day. I was the only one on Main Street. Had I left the house earlier, I would have seen a local tree service placing new American flags on Main Street's utility poles . New flags, the glow bright kind made in America. As I drove East, the rising sun stunningly back-lit all those flags. I thought of other times when our Flag shown through adversity and the uplifting effect it had. IMHO Scouts. should do as well. Maybe at the start of a virtual troop or patrol meeting, each scout should go outside with the flag and perform an individual opening ceremony curbside. Put a large Scout emblem on front door , but ask Mom's permission before removing teddy bear which may be already there. Other ideas? My $0.02,

IMHO, Councils will just follow their camp's respective state directives as they evolve. Arkansas: https://www.eldoradonews.com/news/2020/apr/13/summer-camp-now/ https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/summer-camps-expected-to-not-open-secretary-of-health-says/ Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that the Arkansas Department of Health will soon release guidance that will close summer camps for the time being. He said camps have the potential to become breeding grounds for continued community spread of the novel coronavirus. “You’re bringing together people from all over the country, putting them in a highly congregate setting for a week or so and then sending them back,” he continued. “Even if we’re on the downside of cases at that point, that’s a high risk setting for a resurgence.” “With many of these summer camps, they start bringing together the people who are going to work there in early May, so bringing a bunch of college kids or whoever from different parts of the country, living together in the same types of barracks settings as they’re preparing for campers, that itself is a risk,” Smith said. “I would hope that we’ll eventually be to a point where we can safely do that, but the COVID-19 virus is not exactly on my timetable.”

But... National has the power of Charter to get their way.

Pearson Education markets expensive (time sensitive license) interactive (blackboards, chat rooms, quizzes, tests) online learning packages (multi-platform with a lot of bell and whistles) to schools and colleges. But we are NOT schools and colleges. We have a Patrol Leader, not a Dashboard. Our Scouts are Scout taught, in-person, six feet apart, or via Skype or Zoom - Show, Tell, Do. We simply wanted scout documentation online across platforms. Free would be great, but maybe a paid BSA library card (scout or unit) to cover online library expenses. Thrifty, My $0.02, Disclaimer: I did not say anything negative, in this wayward post, about Pearson Education or EDGE or the BSA for going away from the Patrol Method and Adult Association in teaching.

2013-2015?, the BSA partnered with Pearson Education to produce "interactive digital merit badge pamphlets to transform the teaching and learning experience for youth and merit badge counselors. Distributed through the Inkling distribution and e-reader system, the highly engaging books include animations, simulations, how-to videos, slide shows, self-check questions and other enhancements." The interactive merit badge pamphlets are one part of a larger effort to further engage members using educational technology in new and innovative ways. These new products can be used on Android, iPhones, tablets and browsers. “BSA innovation efforts focus on our customers’ needs,” said Pat Wellen, director of BSA Design & Development Center. “Through talking with Scouts, we learned that they are looking for a convenient way to digitally interact with our content. So, the idea for interactive digital merit badges was conceived. The Pearson partnership helped us make this concept a reality, so that we can provide the interactive digital experience we wanted for our Scouts.” https://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/06/prweb12776555.htm https://trainingindustry.com/press-release/content-development/pearson-collaborates-with-boy-scouts-of-america-to-transform-digital-education-through-interactive-merit-badge-pamphlets/ ---------------------- From link: https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/811451_350.pdf 2016: BSA and Pearson enter into an Agreement pursuant to which Pearson undertakes, at BSA’s direction, most of BSA’s editorial and creative services, maintains certain of its technology platforms, and performs additional projects requested by BSA (collectively, the “Services”). Tweeddale Decl., ¶ 4. 8. Pearson provides the Services by maintaining a staff of fifteen Pearson employees on site at BSA headquarters, who are now working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tweeddale Decl., ¶ 5 9. Among the Services Pearson is providing to BSA since the Petition Date are the following projects undertaken at the direction of BSA: updating and maintaining BSA documentation, creating and maintaining health and safety posters for camp, updating the content of program handbooks, volunteer handbooks, and scout leader materials. A detailed list of post-petition projects and Services performed is attached to the Tweeddale Decl. as Exhibit B. Tweeddale Decl., ¶ 6. Agreement Ends: During Chapter 11, the BSA sought to end this agreement, Pearson sought relief. Yesterday, the court agreed and so ordered: the agreement ends April 17, 2020 and Pearson is paid $244,966.60. https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/812976_440.pdf All links on pearsoned.com regarding the BSA have been removed. Pearson Education was a member of the Unsecured Creditors Committee along with the Girl Scouts of America, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.former BSA executive Roger Ohmstede, and Lion Brothers, an apparel brand manufacturer that provides merit badges and patches. https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2020-03-04/panel-chosen-to-represent-victims-in-boy-scouts-bankruptcy

Coronavirus Won’t Stop Father And Son From Finishing Community Project (HI) https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/04/coronavirus-wont-stop-father-and-son-from-finishing-community-project/

Please keep the discussion scoutlike (Scout Oath and Law) or gentlemanly as listed OP pdf. My $0.02, start your first 5 Star unit in Lawton and see if it catches on. @desertrat @MattR

Reply brief (32 pages) by GSUSA attorney in support of GSUSA motion for relief of automatic stay to resume Trademark action. Hearing is April 15, 2020. https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/812300_391.pdf Maybe a compromise at this hearing can lead to a resolution.

Got a virtual patrol meeting going on here. Scouts came up with the idea to make Easter baskets for those in need as revealed on town FB. Their idea - the baskets contain only festive wrapped rolls of TP. Soon to be dropped off on porches...

Schedule of Assets and Liabilities of BSA https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/812006_375.pdf Over 1000 pages of approximate?, best-guess? assets and liabilities of BSA. Recommend one take some aspirin before skimming as I now have a migraine. Note pages 144 thru 185 (42 pages!) list all BSA registered internet domains with "undetermined" value. The domains are in alphabetical order in small font, roughly 31 domains per page. 31 x 42 = 1302 domains more or less? The BSA even registered scouter.org (expires 2021-10-16)! What a waste of money! Artwork, copyrights, and trademarks are listed, some with appraised values. Schedule A/B (Form 206A/B) Assets Real and Personal Property Page 210 has Schedule D (Form 206D) Creditors Who Have Claims Secured BY Property. (36 pages) Creditors are listed alphabetically. Liens are listed in a separate UCC Financing Statement? Page 246 has Schedule E/F (Form 206E/F) Creditors Who Have Unsecured Claims (878 pages). Girl Scouts of America is listed on page 877. Page 1124 has Schedule G (Form 206G) Executory Contracts and Unexpired Leases (119 pages) Page 1243 Schedule H (Form 206H) Codebtors - multiple listing of Delaware BSA, LLC and Arrow WV (3 pages) Summary of Assets and Liabilities for Non-Individuals (Form 206Sum) Appended with Official Form 202 signed by Michael Ashline, CFO and Treasurer

Your grandfather's volunteer legacy can help us all! Please tell us more. From Boys Town Alumni, Joseph Edward Wherry (1948-2014), ...the epitome of servant leadership. Boys Town alumnus, US Navy Vietnam disabled veteran, long time Scouter, national service officer for Veterans Association... Scout Salute and farewell.

Good question.

That would be more than half of BSA employees? "The national headquarters of the BSA is located in Irving, Texas. The BSA employs approximately 1,650 individuals, all of whom are located in the United States and its territories. The BSA’s employees are located at its headquarters, at the BSA’s national warehouse and distribution center in Charlotte, North Carolina, at approximately 175 official BSA Scout Shops located throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and at the BSA’s four high adventure facilities located in Florida, Minnesota and parts of Canada, New Mexico, and West Virginia." From Docket 16, Page 7 from Brian Whittman, being duly sworn, states the following under penalty of perjury: 1.I am a Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC (“A&M”), a limited liability corporation, which has served as a restructuring advisor to the Boy Scouts of America (the “BSA”) https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/799093_16.pdf

In this example, from a proper square necker , starting at 1:50 in video.

What was the "Official" explanation? Will a virtual meeting be held in its place? IMHO, if ever there was a need for meeting of the 70+ members of the National Executive Board, this spring is the time. Now there's a fundraiser idea! My $0.02,

“The call originally came from the United Way to our chartered organization, First United Methodist Church. They were asking for help with unloading the trucks,” said Greg Amstutz, Committee Chairman for Scouts BSA Troop 31. Once Greg received the request from his church he knew exactly how to help. “I thought this would be a perfect way for my Scouts to help and we volunteered our services right away.” So, Greg mobilized his unit, deploying them on every Tuesday to unload food from the trucks and build the pallets back up in the gymnasium. Both Scouts BSA Troops, consisting of both male and female Scouts respectively, have unloaded four trucks, helped make food bags, and totaled 141 hours of service thus far. Director Smith acknowledged the help is appreciated and is a great service, “This is manual labor, physically unloading food, moving pallets, and then reassembling this food for packing and distribution to residents.” More including photos at source: Servitude, Selflessness, Scouting in Van Wert County (OH) https://timesbulletin.com/Content/News/Community-News/Article/Servitude-Selflessness-Scouting-in-Van-Wert-County/2/1170/224012

To paraphrase Terrence Mann (played by James Earl Jones) words from “People Will Come” speech in Field of Dreams. "The one constant through all the years has been Scouting. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But Scouting has served all the time. These scouts, this program: it's a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good and that could be again. Oh...families will come. Families will most definitely come.”

From link above. IMHO, if your WFA or CPR re-certification class was cancelled, an accommodation should be made regarding "current". My $0.02, Q. My Wilderness First Aid Course has been cancelled; can I still go on my trek?Current WFA certification will continue to be required for all backcountry and remoteadventures. As a reminder, a current CPR/AED certification is a pre-requisite for a WFA course. In addition, we are closely monitoring the status of instructor-led courses and working with our partners at the American Red Cross and Emergency Care and Safety Institute for acceptable alternatives in the event courses are not available in your community. We will post further information in the next update.

FYI from Chapter 11 case: https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/810634_321.pdf In addition, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the strain on the BSA’s senior management and other organizational resources. In light of the social distancing measures adopted throughout the country and the drain those measures have had on the organization’s revenues, the BSA was forced to furlough a large portion of its workforce effective April 1, 2020. The BSA’s senior leadership is also preparing a revised 2020 business plan and cash flow forecast that will better account for the increased financial and operational uncertainty arising from the pandemic. Those efforts include modeling new revenue projections and exploring various cost-reduction levers. The BSA’s senior management is also engaged in efforts to continue alternative programming to its members when most traditional BSA programming is suspended. The substantial reduction in staff, together with the additional work associated with adapting to the new realities of this pandemic, will impose significant additional burdens on the employees who remain. signed Brian Whittman, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC (“A&M”), a limited liability corporation, which has served as a restructuring advisor to the Boy Scouts of America (the “BSA”) and Delaware BSA, LLC, the non-profit corporations that are debtors and debtors in possession in the above-captioned Chapter 11 Cases (together, the “Debtors”), since October 2018

Speaking of which, what a long road this has been. DECLARATION OF RACHEL KASSABIAN IN SUPPORT OF DEBTORS’ OBJECTION TO GIRL SCOUTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’S MOTION FOR RELIEF FROM THE AUTOMATIC STAY TO RESUME TRADEMARK ACTION https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/810638_322.pdf DEBTORS’ OBJECTION TO GIRL SCOUTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’S MOTION FOR RELIEF FROM THE AUTOMATIC STAY TO RESUME TRADEMARK ACTION https://casedocs.omniagentsolutions.com/cmsvol2/pub_47373/810632_320.pdf ^---- IMHO, the latter (6 pages) was well argued, particularly, items 6 and 7. 6. The BSA is currently devoting significant managerial, financial, legal, and other resources toward its restructuring efforts. Specifically, the BSA’s leadership is presently undertaking the following tasks related to the bankruptcy: (i) the preparation of statements and schedules for the U.S. Trustee and other constituencies; (ii) the identification and assembly of materials responsive to numerous document requests propounded by the TCC’s and UCC’s counsels and advisors; (iii) engaging with and fielding requests from various media organizations regarding the BSA’s restructuring and its ability to continue Scouting activities while these Chapter 11 Cases are pending; (iv) engaging in preparations for the upcoming meeting of creditors to be held pursuant to Section 341 of the Bankruptcy Code, which is currently scheduled for April 15; (v) assisting in the preparation of periodic presentations to various constituencies regarding the BSA’s financial position, forecasts, and restructuring plan; and (vi) implementing expense reductions and other organizational improvements necessary to meet the Debtors’ 2020 budget. The “breathing spell” afforded by the automatic stay has been essential to the BSA’s ability to continue to proceed as expeditiously as it has in these early stages of the bankruptcy. 7. In addition, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the strain on the BSA’s senior management and other organizational resources. In light of the social distancing measures adopted throughout the country and the drain those measures have had on the organization’s revenues, the BSA was forced to furlough a large portion of its workforce effective April 1, 2020. The BSA’s senior leadership is also preparing a revised 2020 business plan and cash flow forecast that will better account for the increased financial and operational uncertainty arising from the pandemic. Those efforts include modeling new revenue projections and exploring various cost-reduction levers. The BSA’s senior management is also engaged in efforts to continue alternative programming to its members when most traditional BSA programming is suspended. The substantial reduction in staff, together with the additional work associated with adapting to the new realities of this pandemic, will impose significant additional burdens on the employees who remain. ... signed Brian Whittman, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal North America, LLC (“A&M”), a limited liability corporation, which has served as a restructuring advisor to the Boy Scouts of America (the “BSA”) and Delaware BSA, LLC, the non-profit corporations that are debtors and debtors in possession in the above-captioned Chapter 11 Cases (together, the “Debtors”), since October 2018

The official source. https://www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa/advancement-and-awards/merit-badges/ Scroll down the long page and click on MB of interest to get current requirements. Hopefully other members will reply with more detailed advice.

@DLikens on behalf of moderators, welcome to scouter.com.