ParkForKids

Please help me with your words of wisdom on whether to do a joint Eagle Scout Court of Honor or request to do a private one for my son Background: My son got his Eagle Scout Rank a couple days ago. He did a unique project that required many helping hands, most of whom, students & adults, were not in his immediate troop. They show interests to be part of to his Eagle Scout Ceremony. The relationship and the respect to my son is deep during and even more after the project. To see a glimpse of the magnitude of the project, you can view the finale of his Financial Literacy Education Event here if you are interested http://financialeventvideo.zidan.net. This 20 month project earned him many kudos from peers, adults, and many great opportunities (with plurals). One at the national level. He worked continuously very hard for this project which is very difficult and risky. Issue: Issue at hand is that, my troop do Court of Honor typically once a year with all the Eagle Scouts together. Last year was 4 ES, this year is probably 5. Each boy had their equal share of 1 speaker and the formal presentation of the Eagle Scout ceremonial stuff, to Eagle Scout, Mom, Dad, Mentors,etc.. The ceremony itself is very nice. For my son, He is associated with many people who would love to talk about him. School official, school district, his district advisors, other outside mentors, his friends, and his 25 student club he founded as part of his Eagle Project. I have 2 concerns with joint Troop ceremony #1) Attention to my son would cast shadow on the good work other Eagle Scouts do. #2) If my son's guests(peers & adults) are not allowed to express to him (either roast or praise), everyone involved is denied of an opportunity to see his being charged with the highest honor and at the same time roasting him, denying the opportunity to create an unforgettable memory and fun time with him. My multi-unit troop is close 200 scouts (cub & boy scout, daisy & girl scout, venture scouts) who typically attend joint troop event. If we do a separate one for my son, my troop leaders may have the concern that they may appear to have preferential treatment for my son special apart from other Eagle Scouts who earn the same rank with different project. They also may not want to spend much effort to do it more than once either. Furthermore, other Eagle Scout parents in the troop may have bad feelings over this. I really want to do a separate one so we can control the event format to create a special memory. My son is OK with it. His friends encourage it. My wife on the other hand is concerned that it may not look good with the people in the troop. I am trying my best to reduce any bad-feeling but not sure yet how to proceed. If we go alone, my feeling is that we will minimize the formality but more on the relationship between my son and others. I plan to not have the Mom and Dad pin part either as the pins have already been in my son heart and mind for the rest of his life. I will also not advertise it to the whole troop. Please give your advices - Some of which I would like to present to my troop leaders. Thanks Lu

@desertrat77 if that is the case, we'll check to see if the casino makes exceptions for those Scouts less than 18 yrs old to take the bus or not. Casino patrons can use some pop-corns at the roulette table. Putting the money on pop-corn will sure be a lesser risk.

Hi Rick, I am on your side on your general philosophy. We have become a paranoid society. Look like I can take some input from you. Would you be kind to answer the followings: 1. Would you conduct your weekly scout troop meetings, consisting of 6 years old brownies and cub scouts, at a large park and ride location exclusively for gamblers who are strangers, come and go? This is a public park and not Casino park and ride location. It is being taken over by Casino Bus Operators to squeeze extra profits. Casinos wouldn't care because they are far-away and liability are not on them. 3. What are our rights? Just tell the parents and the younger scouts who run around to be more on alert every moment a stranger come by(which is very often), to deal with it? 2. What is your advise? We can't move yet because we need time to find suitable location for 150 scouts. Relocation disrupts many families travel routes. The unit was there to allow certain group of families to join scouting.

Thank you everyone. I like the ideas of selling popcorn and may even has a dummy being swished in between. Joking aside, I looked around and can't find anything on BSA that would advise what to do. I assume BSA assumed that all selected locations are safe. This should be explicit on the Youth Protection Course. Everyone, if you have 10 seconds of time,please sign this petition if you feel fit for the betterment of the community and the nation as a whole - Your voice counts, especially when we tell the City Council, it is getting national attention. https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/prohibit-casino-bus-and-casino-goers-using-westminster-ca-public-parks-as-park-and-ride.html

Here is the text of the petition and also the pictures. It is actually an uphill fight from what I was told as it will cost money to carry out ordinances. All we have is about 60 signatures from parents and the power may not be on our side. I like the idea of media but not sure how to approach it yet. https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/prohibit-casino-bus-and-casino-goers-using-westminster-ca-public-parks-as-park-and-ride.html Ellen F Gillespie Park and other public parks in the City of Westminster have been turned in to "Park and Ride" locations for Casino Bus Operators and the Casino goers. This severely impact the Scout activities consisting of young children in several Scout Troops, community sport teams, and other families picnics and park goers. If you support banning Casino related activities from public parks, please sign the Petition. Please pass it on to 5 emails for their support. You can read more to get the back ground. Thank you for your support. Last Summer 2014, several casino buses used the Ellen F Gillespie Park as the "Park and Ride " place. We contacted Westminster Park and Recreation Department. The Park Enforcer came and the buses disappeared. Summer of 2015. Every weekend, we found casino buses came frequently to pick up passengers. Last Sunday Sept 13, 2015 , from 8AM that we were there, we recorded 1 bus every hour arriving at the park picking up passengers as captured in these photos Click Here. We have contacted Westminster Park and Recreation Department again along with other authorities. It doesn't appear that the City has a permanent mechanism to deal with the Casino buses and Casino goers' cars. As the result, the casino buses use Westminster public parks as their Park and Ride locations. The Casino buses/Casino Goers on Public Park causes safety issues for the park-goers, children or adults, in terms of personal safety and traffic safety. This especially affects community groups who use the park every week including Scout groups, soccer teams, tennis teams, soft-ball teams, and the surrounding communities. Not only that, both the park-goers and the surrounding residential areas struggle to look for alternative parking spaces. Their parking spaces are occupied by the casino-goers, causing traffic liability. Kids and families now have to walk, sometimes jay-walk across major streets to get to the park. The majority of Casino bus goers typically keep to themselves, but a small number of Casino-goers, while waiting for the bus, caused uncertainty and unsafe situation for young children, and young Girls and Boy Scouts with their intruding presence. Parents do not know if this is new parent or someone else. Other cities have done extensive studies on Casino Buses . Those cities found that Casino buses caused safety issues for the community in those cities. At least 2 of these cities passed their own ordinances to ban Casino bus pickups in their cities. Those cities are City of San Gabriel, City of Monterey Park, and Korea Town in the City of Los Angeles. The casino buses and casino-goers have been chased away from many other communities who stand up for their rights. There is no Casino in the City of Westminster or the surrounding cities. The operation of those Casino buses in the City of Westminster, at the community safety's expense, does not benefit anyone except the Casino, and few other individuals who receive benefits from them, directly or indirectly. On the other hand, they cause safety and affect healthy enjoyment of those who use the public parks, and the surrounded residential areas. It should be made clear that we do not have anything against the Casino business, buses, or Casino goers. We do not want them to use Westminster Public Parks as gathering place for Park and Ride. The Public Parks are designed for community enjoyment and activities, where kids and parents deserve maximum safety. Petition:We, the undersigned, call on Westminster City Council to seriously take into consideration the issues raised regarding casino bus picking up casino-goers in or near public parks, and casino goers parking their cars at the public park and along the streets in the walking distance of the public park. We ask that Westminster City Council, including Mayor Tri Ta, Mayor Pro Tem Sergio Contreras, Council Members Diana Carey, Tyler Diep, and Margie Rice, makes the necessary regulations to ensure that public parks and surrounding areas not being used as Casino "Park and Ride" locations. Recommendation as below: * Casino buses are prohibit from picking up passengers at the public parks including Gillespie Park, and other Westminster parks. * Cars cannot be parked for more than 4 hours unattended along the street directly accessible to the public park or the public parking lots near or in the park, or another permanent mechanism to ban the Casino "Park and Ride" situation at public parks for commercial purpose.

Thanks Stosh, That is what we are trying to do through parents and neighborhood push to the City Council. My additional question is what role and responsibility of the Scout Leaders on this. Is it restricted by BSA rules to not interfere or speak up to the City as Boy Scout Leaders and thus leave the safety issues to parents? Is there anywhere in BSA handbook that states it? I am just trying to figure out Thanks Lu

Sorry for the mangled title (cut/ paste and accidental click). Should be Casino Buses using public parks as Park and Ride, where Scouts meet. What should we do? Moderator Note: Title edited to what you intended. - NJCubScouter

Everyone, Can you chime in your opinion on this to give advise on what Scout Troop and parents should do in the face of community right being stampeded. Over the pass several months, Casino buses from far away use the City Park as Park and Ride places for their Casino Goers. This is where our Scouts (cub, brownies, and others) carry out their activities. Daily, Casino bus come every hours. Several Casino patrons gather there and parked their cars their awaiting pickup. A number of strangers, as Casino Goers, come and mixed with the kids on the playground and take over-crowded parking lots. This presents personal safety risks and traffic risk. See petition here. http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/prohibit-casino-bus-and-casino-goers-using-westminster-ca-public-parks-as-park-and-ride.html Our scout troop is concerned going over the BSA rule so they so far stay quiet, leaving their scouts and families in a precarious situation. Some parents took on and tried to get the city to do something but their effort could go to waste without a large voice. What is your advice to our Scout Troop leaders and parents and under what BSA guideline should we act to? Thanks Lu