Welcome to our December 10th, 2012 Monday Memo

2012 Silver Beaver Honorees

Congratulations to the following Scouting volunteers who have been selected to receive the California Empire Council's highest honor, the Silver Beaver Award.
They will be honored at the Council's Annual Volunteer Recognition Dinner on February 2, 2013. The dinner will be held at the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center. You're invited to attend and help recognize these and other deserving Scouting volunteers. Click here for flyer

Name District Name District Michael Adcock Mt. Rubidoux Kathleen Hartman Mt. Rubidoux Keith Banks Mt. Rubidoux Jon Kantola Mt. Rubidoux Matthew Barth Mt. Rubidoux Greg Lundeen High Desert Randy Bennett Grayback Robin Lund Sunrise Kenneth Bennion Arrowhead Lawrence Nemelka Three Peaks Kathryn Fabos Old Baldy Michael Poore Temescal Nancy Fassbender Tahquitz Charles Royas Old Baldy John Gonering Arrowhead Helen Sahli Temescal Beverly Gruendner Tahquitz Leanne Schock Sunrise Frank Gruendner Tahquitz Jeffrey Smith Tahquitz

9/11 Memorial Update in the Sunrise District

We wanted to give you the latest up date on the 9/11 Memorial that is being built in the La Quinta Civic Center Campus Park.

Last Tuesday, the Metal and the 9/11 Steel was attached to the two Concrete Pillars. I have attached a photo for you to see. The next steps are to put in the Lighting, Plaque, Landscaping, as well as the Seating area with a Bench. All seems on track to be completed for the Dedication on January 23rd at 4 PM. Please be sure to mark this on your calendar as it should be an exciting Ceremony!

Our family also just returned from New York over Thanksgiving vacation. It was a wonderful family trip. The main reason we went was so that Andrew could see where the Piece of 9/11 Steel he was given came from. We received a private tour from the 9/11 Memorial Organization. They want to put a photo and some information on the La Quinta 9/11 Memorial into their 9/11 Museum for display when it opens up at the end of 2013. The tour was very informative and moving. Between the tour, seeing St. Paul's Chapel with all of the 9/11 displays, and the 9/11 Tribute Center, no one left with dry eyes! This really brought the 9/11 Memorial Project in a full circle. It is hard to believe that it was all just an idea that was presented to the City of La Quinta about two years ago, and is now almost complete for everyone to be able to see so that No One Would Ever Forget!

We hope that you have a Wonderfully Holiday Season, and hopefully can take the time to appreciate what this time of year means and is really all about!

Sincerely, The Davis Family

A Redwood City Man Becomes an Eagle Scout at Age 85

By Scott Herhold sherhold@mercurynews.com

With utter clarity, George Maher can remember the first time he tried to get his Eagle Scout award. It was March 10, 1944, and he was three days short of his 17th birthday. The scene was the fourth floor of a school building in Queens.

Maher had all the merit badges. But halfway through his board of review, an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 120 interrupted the meeting. Maher's mother and uncle were at the door. Maher's father, Patrick, was at the hospital with urgent heart problems. The elder Maher died that evening.

Within a month, Maher enlisted in the Navy to fight in World War II. His dreams of becoming an Eagle Scout were delayed for 68 years. Early next month in Palo Alto, that oversight will be corrected. The story is worth telling.

Few organizations -- the Catholic Church is one -- get worse coverage today than the Boy Scouts. It's largely self-inflicted. The national organization's stance toward gays defies one of the most significant political and cultural movements of our time.

But as an Eagle Scout myself -- and the father of one -- I can tell you I've never seen the issue of sexual orientation play any role in the camping and hiking at the heart of scouting. For me and my son, the experience taught volumes in patience and leadership.

An engineer's career
George Maher, still a fit man at 85, studied at San Francisco State College after the war and worked as an engineer for PG&E, settling in Redwood City. He then did a stint with the Red Cross. For the last 25 years, he has volunteered at scout offices, where he processes Eagle applications.

He thought about going back for his own Eagle. He once sent off a letter to New York scouting authorities that was returned marked "addressee unknown.'' It wasn't until a conversation early this year with Mark Manchester, the development director of the scouts' Pacific Skyline Council, that wheels turned.

Manchester had casually asked when Maher got his Eagle. And Maher told him the story. "It kept gnawing at us,'' Manchester said. "I had to at least make a phone call.''
Maher might never have made the final hurdle had he not kept records of all his merit badges. Even then, he faced a problem. He was missing the card showing he was a Life Scout, the rank below Eagle.

As it happened, he had a decent excuse. In a massive storm off the Philippines in December 1944, Maher was nearly washed off the deck of his destroyer, the USS Prichett. When he pulled himself up, he was missing the wallet that held the Life card.

Documentation
The storm is well-documented -- it is sometimes called "Halsey's Typhoon,'' after Admiral William Halsey. So word arrived from Scout authorities. Maher was entitled to get his Eagle. As one of the oldest Eagle recipients ever, he'll get his badge on Jan. 6 in a Boy Scout ceremony. The certificate will say March 10, 1944.

"When Mark told me it had come, I was shocked,'' Maher told me. "It shows me the people in charge of scouting follow through on things. If they determine you actually earned something, you should get it. I still find it hard to believe.''
 
 

Order of the Arrow Vigil

November 30th, a cool and soggy evening at Camp Emerson, CIEC’s Cahuilla Lodge held a Vigil for nine of their 13 2012 Vigil Candidates.  The evening lent itself nicely for individual candidate Vigil’s at our Council Camp.  The evening allowed for candidates to personally reflect about their O.A. experience and personal commitments to community and service.  The Lodge is blessed with a host of supportive adult Arrowman who gather willingly to support their new Vigil Brothers by assuring full support of our candidates, preparation for the Vigil experience as well as a Brotherhood Ceremony for 8 Brotherhood candidates attending a Brotherhood Honor Ceremony earlier in the evening.

Vigil Guides and staff welcomed nine of our 2012 Lodge Vigil Candidates at a group breakfast in Idyllwild welcoming our newest Vigil Brothers, friendship and fun.  Our heartfelt congratulations to nine of our newest Vigil Honor Members in Cahuilla.  A second Vigil will be hosted at camp on December 21st. for Ray, Adam and Eric Fassbender as well as Mac Maloney.

Guide to Safe Scouting- Unit Fundraising

Include these safety considerations when planning a unit fund-raiser:

1. Money-earning projects should be suited to the ages and abilities of youth participants.
2. Proper adult supervision should be provided.
3. Youth should engage in money-earning projects only in neighborhoods that are safe and familiar and should use the buddy system.
4. Leaders must train youth members to never enter the home of a stranger and to know whom to contact in case of an emergency.
5. Youth participants should be familiar with safe pedestrian practices and participate during daylight hours only.
6. Compliance requirements:
7. Check local statutes regarding solicitation rules and permits.
8. A Unit Money-Earning Application must be obtained from the local council service center.

Pinewood Derby Proving Grounds Event Racing in a Cub Scout derby is great fun. You'll get to design your racing vehicle, work with a parent to build it, and see it perform on race day. Win or lose, you'll take pride in having done your best. When you race in a Cub Scout derby, you learn craft skills, the rules of fair play, and good sportsmanship—things you will remember all your life. Pinewood Derby The pinewood derby is one of the most popular and successful family activities in Cub Scouting. Pinewood derby cars are small wooden models that Cub Scouts make with help from their families. Then they race the cars in competition. The cars are powered by gravity and run down a track. Most packs have a pinewood derby every year. It can be run indoors or outdoors. Every boy can design and build his own "grand prix" car to enter in the race. The Scout Shops are holding a Pinewood Derby Proving Grounds Event Anyone wishing to come measure, weigh, and test their car before the big race can come join us on January 12, 2013.  Jack Dembo Scout Center in Redlands  10am – 2:30pm Old Baldy Scout Center in Montclair  9am – 2pm

SAT/ACT Software Available to Scouts for FREE

NFL and MLB player support eknowledge donation of free SAT/ACT software to Boy Scouts of America families

In alliance with the Boy Scouts of America, eKnowledge is offering SAT and ACT test prep programs valued at $200, free to Boy Scout families. The eKnowledge Sponsorship Alliance is made up of educationally focused foundations, as well as a group of professional athletes from the National Football League and Major League Baseball that includes Warrick Dunn and Chipper Jones. The eKnowledge Sponsorship Alliance has provided more than 120,000 SAT/ACT prep programs to families all over the United States.
“I believe in using my gifts and public image to help the community,” said Chipper Jones, six-time All-Star and future Hall of Fame baseball player.

Now in its fourth year, the eKnowledge Sponsorship Alliance has donated more than $26 million of SAT/ACT test preparation programs. In response to the donation, eKnowledge has received more than 40,000 thank-you letters from those who have benefited from the test preparation programs. The PowerPrep™ program helps prepare students to take the exams and increases student confidence, which can result in higher test scores and thousands of dollars in scholarships.

EKnowledge recently announced the arrival of the new v6x SAT/ACT PowerPrep™ software; v6x was in development for more than two years at a cost of $1.5 million. It includes more than 20 hours of video instruction, 3,000 files of supplemental test prep material, thousands of interactive diagnostic tools, sample questions, practice tests, and graphic teaching illustrations. The new PowerPrep™ v6x software is Mac- and PC-compatible.

Families interested in obtaining the FREE $200 v6x SAT/ACT PowerPrep™ Programs may order online at www.eknowledge.com/bsa or by calling 951-256-4076.
There is a fee of $13.84 (per standard program) which enables eKnowledge to provide technical and customer support, registration, licensure, processing, handling, and worldwide shipping. This nominal fee allows the sponsorship alliance to continue helping thousands of students each year.

For more information, please contact Lori Caputo, ESA Programs, at LoriCaputo@eknowledge.com or 951-256-4076.
 

2012 Jamboree on the Air

The number of reports from the U.S. in this year’s Jamboree-on-the-Air surged 200 percent from 2011, with 204 stations reporting their activities. These stations reported 18,537 Scouts participating—an increase of nearly 500 percent! Overall, the station reports represented 136 councils and 41 states. More than 1,000 amateur radio operators were involved in contacting all 50 states and 66 countries around the world. To see the list of stations and download a full spreadsheet with individual station reports, please visit www.scouting.org/jota/event_report_form.aspx. Also, an overview video with photos of Scouts on the air can be found at vimeo.com/53799694 or at youtu.be/sjwv4SUZ9a0. K2TD Event, Burlington County Council, New Jersey, using ICOM loan station: “I do not think I can precisely express in words the wonderful experience for all involved, but in a very special way for all our youth, the Scouts. These young individuals had in about 30 hours combined lessons that will last a lifetime. They learned about geography, physics, math, languages, world citizenship, science, friendship, teamwork, and so many other skills that most kids their age are never able to experience. These kids’ minds have been stamped forever with the experience of communicating with other human beings around the corner and across the world.” — Max Stiles, BSA unit commissioner, after attending JOTA event

The Troop Bully Is there a Scout intimidating someone in your unit? Here's how to stop the troop bully. Have you ever been bullied? Probably not like this. One of the finest boys Scout leader Brian Henry ever worked with had a great sorrow: His father had died while saving him from drowning. The 13-year-old believed he’d caused his father’s death. During a Klondike derby, an older Scout threw ice at him and spewed a stream of taunts such as, “You killed your father!” and “Your mother hates you because you made your father die!” Eventually, the younger boy began pounding the bully with his fists. As the other Scouts pulled the two boys apart, the Scout leaders came running, and for the remainder of camp the adults kept the two boys apart. Once home, the leaders talked to both boys and their parents, and the story came out that the bully was forced into Scouting by a father who later was convicted of murdering his wife. Read More.....

P.R.A.Y. Update

Hall of Fame Recruitment Awards Program All Scouts and adult leaders are welcome to enter the Hall of Fame of recruitment success!  Qualifying Scouts and leaders will be featured in the Monday Memo on www.BSA-CIEC.org Single’s Club - Recruit one new member to Join Scouting and receive the 2010 Centennial patch. Double’s Club - Recruit two new members to Join Scouting and receive a second Patriotic Recruiter patch. Triple’s Club - Recruit three new members to Join Scouting and receive a third multi-colored Recruiter patch. Home Run Club - Recruit four new members to Join Scouting and receive a collector’s 100th Anniversary Council Shoulder Patch!

Adult Leader Award Recipients

Positive Quote
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"Kindness trumps greed: it asks for sharing. Kindness trumps fear: it calls forth gratefulness and love. Kindness trumps even stupidity, for with sharing and love, one learns."

    ~  Marc Estrin

"Some people do more than just light up a room - they light up the hearts of all who are in it."

    ~  Holley Gerth
 
 

Joe Daniszewski Scout Executive/CEO California Inland Empire Council, BSA PO Box 8910 1230 Indiana Court Redlands, CA 92374 909.793.2463, Ext. 120 877.732.1450 909.793.0306 Fax

Monday Memo is from Scout Executive Joe Daniszewski and contains his reflection on what is happening within the Council. The purpose of Monday Memo is to communicate information about the week ahead, to acknowledge the good things happening around the Council and to address specific issues that the Scout Executive wants to bring to your attention. Joe welcomes any comments, suggestions or recommendations on how to make this memo as helpful as possible. If you have something you want publicized in the Monday Memo, please send it to his attention c/o Monday Memo: Joseph.Daniszewski@scouting.org for Monday Memo Archives Click Here