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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from The C.I.E.C. Staff

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
is a Christmas carol based on the 1863 poem "Christmas Bells" by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, and wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Till ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men! It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men! And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said; "For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men."

TAX ALERT: Charitable IRA Transfers to BSA Councils

At around 5:00 pm last Friday, President Obama signed the Congressionally-approved Tax Extenders into law.  This included the IRA Tax-Free Charitable Transfer provision.  Donors who are at least 70½ years old may now make direct transfers from their IRAs of up to $100,000 (total for the year) to a local council,  or other public charities without being taxed on the withdrawal.  Also, these IRA gifts:

• Must go directly from the IRA to the charity – they cannot go to the donor first;
• Count towards the donor’s annual Minimum Required Distribution;
• Must be outright gifts, but may be designated to specific charitable uses or purposes;
• Cannot go into donor advised funds, gift annuities, or charitable trusts, and the donor may not receive any goods or services in return for the gift;
• Must come out of IRAs, not 401(k)s, 403(b)s or other qualified retirement plans;
• May be made by both spouses, if both gifts come from different and separate IRAs;
• Are retroactive back to January 1, 2014 – but must be made before December 31, 2014, if you have not already made your gift.

Donors do not receive a charitable income tax deduction for these charitable IRA gifts.  These gifts are particularly beneficial for donors who: 1) do not or cannot use itemized deductions, or 2) are limited or already maxed out on the amount of charitable tax deductions they can currently take.  However, even if you do itemize, such a gift may still save you taxes if it keeps you in a lower tax bracket.

Note:  You will have very little time to do this before year end, so please act quickly and contact your IRA plan administrator.   Ask them to withdraw the amount you specify and distribute it directly to the charity or charities of your choice.  [A sample letter to request the funds is attached – or contact us below to request one].   If you can’t take advantage of this type of gift, there are always other, great opportunities for gifts of stocks, real estate, gift annuities, and other types of gifts.

Please talk with your own financial adviser about the impact these gifts may have on your specific tax situation. For questions, contact us at josephdaniszewski@scouting.org  Thank you for your continuing support.

Winter Blast 2015

Scouts and Scouters!!!

The snow is falling in the mountains!  Don’t miss out on having a winter experience to remember!  Unfortunately, we’ve had to cancel the first Polar Cub session, January 9-11, 2015 due to lack of sign-ups, but the other sessions are filling fast so don’t be the last troop or pack to plan on heading up.

Troops remember to call Pam Caloia at (909) 793-2463, EXT 129 and Packs call Sonja Villarreal at (909) 793-2463, EXT 130.  We have Chef Neil prepared to offer his awesome selection of tasty meals and the warm cabins and winter activities await…see ya in the mountains!

Bank of America Student Leaders Program

The Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s Student Leaders® Program is accepting applications for the 2015 Student Leaders® program. We would like your help spreading the word.

Since its inception in 2005, the Bank of America Student Leaders Program has recognized more than 2,000 exemplary high school juniors and seniors who have a passion for improving their communities. The program helps students gain a greater understanding of how nonprofits create impact in the community and helps develop them as the next generation of community leaders through two components:

• A summer eight-week paid internship with a nonprofit organization selected by the bank. This internship is designed to provide opportunities for the students to develop and apply leadership skills through hands-on work experience, while raising their awareness of community issues addressed by their Host Organization.
• The week-long, all-expense paid Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. from July 12-17, 2015. Conducted in partnership with the Close Up Foundation, the
  Summit introduces students to aspects of civic, social and business leadership and provides them with knowledge and skills they will use throughout their life to create positive community change.

In order to spread the word about the opportunity to your members, partners, and affiliates, please distribute the attached flyer. If you would like to receive any posters, please let me know and I will send them to you.

We appreciate your help spreading the word about the Bank of America Student Leaders Program. Students can apply for the program by going to www.bankofamerica.com/studentleaders. Please note the application deadline of January 31, 2015.

For more information on the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation or feel free to contact me. Lisa Sims lisa.sims@bankofamerica.com

Attention all Scouts and Scouters!

Do you have any outstanding pictures from your 2014 Scouting adventures? (selfies, group shots, candid photos, etc.) We will be making a video presentation for the Volunteer Recognition Dinner on February 7, 2015. If you would like to submit one to be considered for use, please email to michelle.brown@scouting.org. Deadline is January 16, 2015.

YPT Automatic Notifications

We want to inform you that a new notification email feature was implemented on December 3.

This feature will automatically and regularly notify registered adult leaders who have not yet taken Youth Protection training, or whose training expired or will expire in 30-60-90 days, about the importance of taking Youth Protection training. After the initial email, adult leaders will receive an email reminder in 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months, or until Youth Protection training has been completed.

The notification includes a direct link to the online Youth Protection training course to complete. When a leader clicks the “Please click here to complete the training online” link in the email, they will be taken directly to the online Youth Protection training, which, when completed, will update their MyScouting record. Previously, they had to sign into their account, etc. This link bypasses this step and takes them directly to training.
 

2015 Camp Card Sale

What is a Camp Card?

• New fundraiser to help our scouts attend camp
• Proven fundraiser in many other BSA Councils
• Open to all Scouting units in CA Inland Empire Council
• Ideal spring fundraiser that is new and unique
• Additional option to popcorn for Winter/Spring 2015

Details

• Sale Timeline January – May 2015
• Card sells easily at $5.00 each
• State wide discount card that is customized to each buyer through Entertainment Book
• One time “Break Off” for major discounts is valued greater than card cost
• $5.00 off a $50.00 purchase at Bass Pro Shops
• $10.00 off a $50.00 purchase at Sports Authority
• Registering card online with Entertainment allows for added discounts
• Premium Discounts – 10 offers for up to 50% off dining, services, and shopping
• Repeat savings – Unlimited purchases through Online Deals and Travel categories
• Commission $2.50 for each card is returned to unit to help send Scouts to Camp
• No seller prizes – All recognition funds are being put into unit commission

Important Facts

• Initial unit order are available now at the Scout Service Center
• Units must sign up to participate – limited cards because of unknown participation rate
• Cards will be available in January
• Full commission earned when units settle their accounts

Recommended Order

• Recommended order is 20 cards per participating Scout
• Additional cards are available based upon settlements throughout the sale - inventory permitting

Silver Beaver Recipients

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 7, 2015. 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 to Register Online Name District Name District Name  District Linda Bennett Temescal William Dull Tahquitz Patrick Michael Poor Mt. Rubidoux Luis Bravo Arrowhead David Hall Tahquitz Ward Roney Arrowhead Richard Campbell Temescal Nichole Horsley Three Peaks Fred Stieg Arrowhead Guy Chabot Sunrise Darren Nugent Temescal Peggy YaYa Sager Tahquitz Donald Curtis Five Nations Dean Palmer Five Nations Dane Santistevan Tahquitz Laurie Curtis Five Nations Peter Peters Old Baldy Richard Slider Grayback

Council Volunteer Recognition Dinner Silent Auction

As you know the Annual Council Volunteer Recognition Dinner is coming up.

This year we will be having a silent auction. I have been aaked to oversee the auction this year. ALL proceeds for the silent auction go to the Campership fund and helps send a scout to camp.

For this auction we will need items with a value of at least $25. Each district is asked to look in their areas to local businesses and places for donations. Each district is asked to get at least 5 items from their district for the auction. CIEC covers a wide area. Many local businesses are willing to donate. All you have to do is ask. A letter of donation with tax ID number can be used. If needed request one.

Personal donations of items are gladly accepted also. We do ask the value of such be at least $25.

Monetary donations will be gladly accepted.

Let's make this year a success.

If you have any questions, suggestions or are willing to help with the silent auction. Please contact me via Email Divine_durango_diva@msn.com or 951-833-2409

Celebrating Our Volunteers, Christa 'Bubbles' Jenson, Silent Auction Coordinator

James E. West Fellowship Endowment Program

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s observation that “an institution is the lengthened shadow of one man,” is best exemplified by Dr. James E. West.  Today, Scouting is the “lengthened shadow” of the more than three decades of the farseeing and dedicated leadership provided by Dr. James E. West. In 1910, James E. West became the first Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America, and he served in that position for more than three decades. The James E. West Fellowship Award is available for gifts of $1,000 and up in cash or marketable securities to the Council Endowment Fund. The gift must be in addition to and not replace or diminish the donor’s annual Friends of Scouting support. Many individuals and corporations make these gifts either on behalf of someone else, such as in honor of an Eagle Scout, Silver Beaver recipient, a retirement, a special accomplishment, or anniversary or in memory of a special individual. If an institution is truly “the lengthened shadow of one man,” it is more than fitting that the BSA honor James E. West’s monumental contributions to Scouting in such a significant way. The Executive Board invites you to support our California Inland Empire Council. James E. West Fellowship Invitation

Please Keep Ian Fraile & His Family in Your Thoughts & Prayers It is with a heavy heart that I send this message to ask if you could post for our scout family. We at Troop 921 Jurupa Valley received devastating news of the loss of one of our fellow scouts Ian Fraile, his parents are Joe and Nancy, brother Joseph and sister Kylie Fraile. This tragedy has hit our families hard. He was such a sweet and kind young man and has been taken to heaven at such a young age. If everyone could just send prayers to the family. Thank you Yours in Scouting Gale Saenz Troop 921 Committee Chair

"New in the Mix We're Troop 646"

Introducing the newest Troop in the Old Baldy District - Troop 646 of Alta Loma!  This Troop just formed on October 1st and we have been very busy!

We attended Webelosree just two days after forming and the Boy Scouts ran the "Golf Ball Toss" game for the Webelos. Just two weekends later, we had our First Annual Planning Meeting for 2015 in Big Bear Lake. The Scouts have planned out an awesome year of activities and campouts! In November, we enjoyed a weekend camping in Azusa Canyon at the Crystal Lake Campground. On Saturday, we took a hike to Crystal Lake, the only

"Natural Lake" in the San Gabriel Mountains. In December, the Scouts voted on a night out at Legends Burgers in Alta Loma for our Christmas Dinner Party, because that is where our first official meeting took place on October 6th. At the dinner, we passed out our brand new Troop 646 Neckerchief's and everyone loved them!

If you would like more information about our new Troop, please contact Christy Eimen/Assistant, Scoutmaster christytroop646@gmail.com

Pack 114 Archery

On December 13, 2014, under the directions of Chris and Jessie Andrews, the Cubs and Webelos from Cub Pack 114 of Arrowhead District  participated in earning their Archery Belt Loop and Archery Pin at the Cherry Valley Bowhunters Archery Club. The facility and instructions were great and the Scouts had a lot of fun while learning about archery and shooting rounds. All of the Scouts were greatly interested in returning.

WR Area 4 Training Calendar for November 2014

Scouters: Please find attached a pdf copy of Area 4 Selected Training Events Calendar for January 2015. Please share this information with your scouters in your councils that can use these details.

If you have any future events you would like listed in this calendar, please send the information to my attention. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family as they gather to celebrate.

Lyle Mills, Chairman, Western Region, Area 4 Training Committee

Positive Quote & Prayer
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"From my point of view, God is the light that illuminates the darkness, even if it does not dissolve it, and a spark of divine light is within each of us."

    ~  Pope Francis

A Christmas Prayer

Jesus, the Light of the World, as we celebrate your birth . . . . may we begin to see the world in the light of the understanding you give us.  As you chose the lowly, the outcasts, and the poor to receive the greatest news the world had ever known, so may we worship you in meekness of heart.  May we also remember our brothers and sisters less fortunate than ourselves in this season of giving.  Amen.

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