Cub Master

[Brown Bear]

Our Pack had a car wash to raise money to send to Iraq to help their program get started. Our Cub Scouts raised $513.00. We have a Dad in Iraq that said leather projects would be great to send over. Come to find out animal skins can not be shipped into Iraq. Also does anyone know how to ship items over cheaply? I was quoted $318.39. That would eat up most of our donations. Thanks.

[SctDad]

Unfortunatly there is no realy cheap way to send stuff over to Iraq, if you package is heavy. You usually have to ship through the postal service. That is just the nature of the beast. You may want to try some smaller crafts or other lightweight items. Or you may try recruiting some people/business's to help with the shipping.

 

 

[John-in-KC]

Welcome to the Forums.

 

Contact your District Executive. There is an International Relations Division at BSA National Council in Irving. The cash being given as a program materials donation should flow through to however Scouts Iraq is running.

 

Another alternative is to find a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine in-country, who is involved in Scouting, and who is working with Scouts Iraq. It does happen. Then you can flow the money that way, and it can be spent locally, helping their economy as well as Scouting.

[Bob White]

This is a good lesson for anyone planning any kind of activity. Know your costs ahead of time, know the steps that will be needed for the project from beginning to end...before you start. Having a good idea is fine, but you need a good plan to make it work. The plan needs to come before the acticvity begins.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[gwd-scouter]

The Post Office has flat rate priority mail boxes that can be used to ship items anywhere for a fixed price depending on the size of the box. We used them when we made care packages for soldiers in Afghanistan. The larger of the two is about 14" x 12" x 4" and if I remember correctly costs $11 to ship no matter the weight.

 

BobWhite makes a good point about checking out the costs before you begin a project. That is one of the first things we did when our care package project was planned. Good thing too, because we shipped about 25 of those boxes mentioned above.

[infoscouter]

Many service members are working through the "Green Zone Council", and another similar organization (in Basra?) to assist Iraqi youth who have joined the reconstituted Scouting organization there.

 

Here is one way to donate:

http://www.spiritofamerica.net/cgi-bin/soa/project.pl?rm=view_project&request_id=119

 

WOSM is also assisting Scouting in Afghanistan.

 

 

[John-in-KC]

Things I learned at Philmont Training Center that bear on this topic:

 

- BSA National Council has a "World Friendship Fund." Other national Scouting assoications approach BSA with specific needs. BSA then provides the resources, be they training, materials, or equipment. District Executives and Council International Representatives (a volunteer) should know how to flow money.

 

- Most Army posts and Marine Corps Bases have BSA units resident on the installation. If you are near one of them (even not), contact a unit. At the meoment, odds are at least one Scouter from these installations is "in-country" at any given instant. See if they're willing to assist flowing money to Scouters to obtain materials for local units.

 

HTH.