evmori Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 I thought it referred to money since the title of this thread is $$$$$$$. OGE, Excellent! My son is an Eagle & he has been given opportunities because he is an Eagle. Yes priceless is an accurate term. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk9750 Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 When I initially saw the title of the thread, and the first post,I assumed this was a light question intended to have some fun. In that spirit, I asked my son, who is two half MBs away from Eagle (Personal Management and Personal Fitness) how much HE thought it had cost, in that he pays much of his own way (we paid 100% until he was 13, 75% until he got a job at 16, now we pay @ 25%). He assumed that all of the costs of Scouting through the years counted, as he doesn't believe he could make Eagle without all of the campouts, summer camps, Appalacian Trail Hikes, Tinnerman canoe treks, equipment, dues, uniforms (he's on his fourth now - and I'd like to know how any boy gets through 7 years of BS only spending $120.00 on uniforms. Between me and my two boys, we're EASILY over $800.00). His guess? - Between $2,500.00 and $4,000.00. But as noted, he feels every penny was worth it. I asked specifically if knowing what he knows now, he would go though it again, he was emphatic saying yes. And I'm proud that he would. He recognizes what he's gotten from BS - Leadership experience, self esteem, responsiblity, memories, skills, lifelong friends, adults who he is proud to know and call friends. When I reminded him that earning Eagle would be valuable to him, his reaction was kind of: Oh yeah, I forgot about that". Tells me that maybe some of the posts about advancement not being the goal of Scouting might have some merit. It makes me proud to be associated with such a fine program, and to be the dad of such a great kid (my other son ain't too bad, either!) Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acco40 Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 A couple of observations ... The cost is the same whether the boy makes Eagle or not. "My son has been given opportunities because he is an Eagle ..." This statement can be interpreted two different ways. Those that decry "old boys network" status may say it is unfair that someone be given opportunities because they are an Eagle. Those that cherish what an Eagle scout should represent feel justified that opportunities be given to Eagle Scouts. In either case, it is true that Eagle Scouts are well represented as athletic team captains, military academy admissions, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yarrow Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Did the personality type produce the team captain, Student council president, Air Force officer and by the way an Eagle or the other way around? Chicken and Egg. Don't know .............Anyway OGE doesn't include the tremendous loss of equipment by my high-drift factor son. Both he and I have replaced a lot of gear.............laughing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASM7 Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 My Scoutmaster and myself have a little inside joke going about the costs of rank. We decided to set a price the new scout parent pays when signing up. So much for each rank. For those parents with more money, they can pay for the Eagle Badge for $10,000. This is the cost per rank: Tenderfoot: $500, SC:$1000, FC:$1500, Star: $2000, Life: $2500, Eagle: $3000. You can see that paying for Eagle up front is cheaper. Any nagging by the parent increases the cost. Of course, helping by the parent can reduce the cost. A good sized troop can bring in a pretty good income. And that's for only an hour of work per week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le Voyageur Posted October 21, 2002 Author Share Posted October 21, 2002 The reason I started this thread...a bunch of us sitting around the campfire....you know the scene. Well, that question came up, and it tended to take over the other deeper, and phlisophicals questions that we ponder around our fire....just wanted to share it you folks around a cyber campfire.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le Voyageur Posted October 21, 2002 Author Share Posted October 21, 2002 Oh!....my guess, about $115,000 over 5 years, or (about 20,000 bucks a year. Consider this, it cost the U.S. taxpayers about 50,000 bucks a year for the care of one prison immate. 20 thousand per year is not a bad investment for our future..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExperiencedUniforms Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 HI All: I just reviewed the requirements for all the badges from Scout to Eagle at the US Scouting Service Project (http://www.usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank2.html). One overnight for T-foot. Another overnight for 2nd Class. Another for 1st Class. If the boy goes camping in the summer, he doesnt need much in the way of equipment, and he can borrow it. No requirement for high-adventure. Figure 15.00 for each overnight camping experience ~ $45.00. Star: Four months from 1st class. Life: Six months as Star Eagle: Six months as Life Minimum time: 17 months, or two years worth of registration fees. Dont know about troop dues, I know of a troop that charges $30.00/year. ~ 60.00 I looked as hard as I could, but did not find the requirement for owning, wearing or purchasing a uniform. It would seem rather awkward to show up to the Eagle BOR wearing overalls and a t-shirt, but the board should not be able to refuse to see the young Eagle candidate. Id like to see some anecdotal evidence if this ever occurred. I know that Venturers are not required to own or wear a uniform, and they can earn Eagle through the Venturing program, if they earned First Class as a Boy Scout. Anyone here ever sat on a board with a boy not in Scout clothing? Uniform cost ~ $0.00 21 merit badge books can be found in the Troop library, or the public library, or online. Investment ~ 0.00. Shall I be as Phileas Fogg and challenge the group? Give me a highly motivated young man between the ages of 11 and 16 and Ill make him an Eagle in a year and a half for only 105.00. Keep on Scoutin ora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob White Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Hey Phineas, You are correct that a scout only needs 3 nights of camping through the Life rank however to reach Eagle you need the Camping MB which is another 17 days and nights. And even if the scout doesn't have a uniform, as a leader you have a responsibility to give him the awards he has earned, so you'll need to figure that in. I doubt that anyone can accurately track the cost of reaching Eagle since there are so many ways to get there. What's important is how they get there, not how much it may have cost. Bob White Almost forgot, merit badge books, do to copyright laws, are not on the Internet. The requirements are there, but there is far more to the book then the page and a half of the requirements. (This message has been edited by Bob White) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le Voyageur Posted October 21, 2002 Author Share Posted October 21, 2002 105 bucks won't make it....you're not seeing the whole picture. The most visable cost apparent occurs at the parent/unit level. However, to find total cost you'll need to factor in the Chartering Organization, District, Council, Region, and National. You'll also have to factor in the value of time for volunteers, both direct and indirect; as well as a percentage of salaries for professionals at every level. The expense of Scouting does not happen at the unit level alone, the unit is supported by a vast network that requires money to stay in business...to produce an Eagle for 105 is to seperate him from this support system requiring you to bear the full burden yourself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExperiencedUniforms Posted October 21, 2002 Share Posted October 21, 2002 Sir Robert: Yes, you are correct about the copyright laws. On Merit Badge dot com (http://www.meritbadge.com/home.htm), there is similar information that one can find in the Merit badge books. And, of course, you need not have the book, as long as you fulfil the current requrements. As a good Bobwhite, you did remember that Camping is required....unless you request a waiver [before beginning] for a disablility . In the Great Denver Area Council, if your Troop meets our Commissioner's Challenge, the troop is entitled to free badges of rank. The troop can present the badge, but need not pay for it. You should present the earned awards and Merit Badges to the boy, but the BOR only looks at the record from the advancement report. The boy should keep his blue cards and the award cards. He can keep his badges and other awards in a shoe box. Free rank = $0.00 21 merit badges @ 1.15 = 24.15 [if you are cold enough to make the boy pay for his own awards]. 27 cards @ .05 = 1.35 Please add 25.50 to my previous total. Just havin' fun. Keep on Scoutin' ora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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