Tonight I find myself in another Marriott in Omaha having just spent another incredible afternoon and evening at Little Sioux Scout Ranch. Recall with me, 14 months ago, when we dialoged here about the events surrounding the tornado disaster at Little Sioux that took the lives of four young Scouts and called dozens of other Scouts to be the very best they could be. That truly was a life changing experience for me and I remember as if it were yesterday how I felt and how I was profoundly impacted by the events that transpired here in the aftermath of that tragedy.
14 months and a lot of healing later, a marvelous thing is happening at Little Sioux. But, before I can tell you what is happening at Little Sioux, I have to tell you about a remarkable organization that was born out of the 9/11 tragedy in New York. The organization is called the New York Says Thank You Foundation, (NYSTYF). Its driving force are firefighters in NYFD and their motivation is the desire to pay back, or in this case ?pay it forward,? for the thousands of Americans from all over the country who showed up immediately after 9/11 to help this devastated American City. Its leader is a remarkable man, Jeff Parness, who sold his business, invented NYSTYF and has given passionate and inspired leadership to it since 2003.
The New York Says Thank You Foundation, since 2003, has annually selected a part of the country that has been devastated by disaster and has organized a mega work party around Labor Day to help the rebuilding and the healing. It is the absolute essence of the concept ?pay it forward.? The core of the work crew is a large number of firefighters from New York and it includes folks from every place they have ever gone to assist. Here at Little Sioux there are people from Louisiana, Texas, California, Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, and more.
This weekend, this incredible group of human beings, over 600 strong, are tackling a dozen projects at Little Sioux Scout Ranch, the center piece of which is the construction of a beautiful memorial chapel using the foundation pad of the building in which Ben, Josh, Aaron, and Sam lost their lives. It will be a lasting tribute to those four boys and to those boys who demonstrated to the world how Scout skills and Scout spirit can saves lives and lead the way. On Sunday, the chapel will be completed and an inspirational memorial service will be led by Chaplain Steve Holden, FDNY chaplain.
What I witnessed in Iowa this weekend was what I know, without a doubt, is the human spirit as God intended it to be. Individuals from very diverse walks of life, ethnicity, and faiths?all bound together by the reality that helping each other is as fundamental to life as air and water. Next year, as this ?pay it forward? adventure continues, Scouts and Scouters from the Mid-America Council will join the cast and participate with vigor in a project to help another group of humans who are hurting and trying to heal from a disaster of some kind.
I am truly blessed to have the job that I have and the honor of representing all of you at times like this. Life is good!!
Bob
THE JAMBOREE STORY CONTINUES???..
Picture yourself being part of the historic 2010 National Jamboree
This is the beginning of a story about several Scouts who attended the 2005 National Jamboree at United States Army Fort A. P. Hill in Virginia.
At noon on Sunday July 24th, Life Scout, Andrew Fisher, stepped off the bus into Sub-Camp 5 and into the history books as the first Scout on the ground for the 2005 National Boy Scout Jamboree experience. This young man, a Senior Patrol Leader from Troop 510, eyed the empty campgrounds turned around and instructed his fellow Scouts to begin unloading their gear. Andrew?s troop was from the Del-Mar-Va Council, which serves Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia. Compared to other Troops traveling great distances, Mr. Fisher?s Jamboree Troop was not far from Fort A. P. Hill, so getting there did not take very much time at all.
As more and more Scouts arrived, the site with 100s of tents being raised in a matter of hours, showed how it became the fastest growing city on record with its own zip code!
On Monday, July 25th around 6 am, the sky was filled with clouds, indicating a chance of showers for sure ? so both youth and adults began to prepare for the upcoming storm. The stories from flooding at the 2001 Jamboree explained why many tent platforms were brought in as well as cots for both youth and adults. Even though Scouts should "Always be Prepared," there was certainly time for some "Fun in the Mud"???.
More to come?.. If you are a scout who wants to sign up for our contingent Click Here
Fall Woodbadge 2009
The Great California ShakeOut!
Last year, over 150 Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops registered and participated in The Great Southern California ShakeOut. Scouts held meetings on earthquake preparedness, created disaster plans for their homes and put together disaster supplies kits. Also scouts that participated in the ShakeOut "drop, cover, hold on" drill earned ShakeOut Participant patches. This year The Great California ShakeOut will be statewide on October 15th!
If you haven't registered yet and plan to participate in the 2009 ShakeOut, start by completing the organization form at www.shakeout.org/register. Then by completing the activities described at www.shakeout.org/scouts, your scouts can earn a 2009 ShakeOut patch.
Also, Scout organizations and leaders can share ideas and develop networks by signing up at shakeout-scouting.ning.com.
Finally, you can provide advice to ShakeOut organizers for how we can assist Scout groups to plan & prepare for ShakeOut drills as well as for real earthquakes! To provide your input, please complete our brief survey.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Warren Yamashita
Education and Outreach Assistant
Southern California Earthquake Center
714/721-7918
wyamashi@gmail.com
P.S. I am an Eagle Scout from Troop 578 in Anaheim. Currently, I am a sophomore attending USC as a Biology and Philosophy double major. Being an Eagle Scout has played a significant role in my acceptance to USC and my work here at the Southern California Earthquake Center. I can see how my experiences in scouting have carried into my years in college and am very grateful to this great program.
Scoutreach Golf Classic
Scoutreach?s mission is to reach those children,who are most in need of the values
of Scouting. These young men often have few positive male role models and live in difficult areas of our communities heavily impacted by poverty, crime, and hunger. Most of these young Scouts are served by Federal free breakfast and lunch programs in school. Scouting principles are timeless and its impact on youth immeasurable. Molding the lives of our youth and building character is essential as our nation is assailed from within by moral decay; and externally by forces bent on our destruction. It is not a clich? to state that our nation?s future depends upon strong leadership with integrity.
For this reason, we are asking you to become a sponsor in support of the Scoutreach
Program of the Boy Scouts of America. This fundraising event is designed to allow you to join hands with the California Inland Empire Council, to help insure that a quality Scouting program is delivered to the neediest youth in the Inland Empire by providing registration, insurance, uniforms, books, training of adult volunteers and camperships. Click Here to Register Kudos
Pack 614 of Taquitz District kicked of the "Take Order" portion of their Popcorn Sale to the Mission Impossible soundtrack while leaders, Bill and Christine Dull,ran around the room shooting marshmallows at all sorts of targest with their trusty, Trail's End Bow & Mallow. The boys loved it, and to a boy they all got the message- "Fill up your take order sheet and get a Bow & Mallow." Our Cub Scout were stoked and ready to sell lots and lots of popcorn. We'll keep you posted!
Carrie Nelson took over the Mount Rubidoux Cub Scout Roundtable in 2008 and is doing a great job! She really gets people excited and trained. Then, they weren't enough trainings so she started working on trainings too! In addition, she helps run her pack with the LDS church, in which she has held each position at least once, and runs her house and 5 kids ( even though some are out of the house, she still has lots to do with them) and she's a nurse!
She has done a great job re-vamping how we do roundtable, implementing new activities to keep people excited. She has recruited more people to help provide training at each meeting. She really works hard and is a great volunteer!
Local Scouts in News
Boy Scout delivers hygiene kits to 100 of San Bernardino's homeless - By Michel Nolan Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - Thirteen-year-old Jesse Jacobs stood in his Boy Scout uniform and shook hands with the homeless man View Full Story
The Greenest Man in Hollywood
An Exclusive Interview with Ed Begley, Jr.
By Mike Bundrant
While most people soak in their morning shower, clinging to every possible moment of warmth and steam, the actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr., sails through his shower Navy style. Water on, rinse. Water off, soap up. Water on, rinse. Aboard ship, Navy personnel are required to shower this way to conserve their limited supply of water. For Ed, this level of discipline is standard protocol for conscientious living on a planet that needs our help.
Using his bicycle as a first means of transportation, followed by public transportation or his electric car, Ed lives in a modest home in Los Angeles where he enjoys his solar-powered oven and white picket fence made from recycled milk jugs. His house is a work in progress as he competes with his friend Bill Nye (the science guy) in an ongoing contest to see who can achieve the lowest carbon footprint.
Ed came into the limelight for his portrayal of Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the long-running hit television series, St. Elsewhere, for which he received six Emmy nominations. Since then, Begley has had the luxury of choosing film and television projects to his liking. His current Woody Allen film, Whatever Works, opened June 9. Upcoming projects include the movie Georgia O?Keefe, with Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen, and another season of Living with Ed, his reality television series on the Planet Green network.
I didn?t ask him how on earth he found time to write his new book, Living Like Ed (to be released September 8, 2009) yet I was grateful to receive a copy of this much-needed resource and speak with Ed about his commitment to eco-friendly living.
HT: Why do you live the way that you live? You are making sacrifices and committing to a certain lifestyle. Where does this come from?
While most people soak in their morning shower, clinging to every possible moment of warmth and steam, the actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr., sails through his shower Navy style. Water on, rinse. Water off, soap up. Water on, rinse. Aboard ship, Navy personnel are required to shower this way to conserve their limited supply of water. For Ed, this level of discipline is standard protocol for conscientious living on a planet that needs our help.
Using his bicycle as a first means of transportation, followed by public transportation or his electric car, Ed lives in a modest home in Los Angeles where he enjoys his solar-powered oven and white picket fence made from recycled milk jugs. His house is a work in progress as he competes with his friend Bill Nye (the science guy) in an ongoing contest to see who can achieve the lowest carbon footprint.
Ed came into the limelight for his portrayal of Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the long-running hit television series, St. Elsewhere, for which he received six Emmy nominations. Since then, Begley has had the luxury of choosing film and television projects to his liking. His current Woody Allen film, Whatever Works, opened June 9. Upcoming projects include the movie Georgia O?Keefe, with Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen, and another season of Living with Ed, his reality television series on the Planet Green network.
I didn?t ask him how on earth he found time to write his new book, Living Like Ed (to be released September 8, 2009) yet I was grateful to receive a copy of this much-needed resource and speak with Ed about his commitment to eco-friendly living.
HT: Why do you live the way that you live? You are making sacrifices and committing to a certain lifestyle. Where does this come from?
Ed: It came from several things. It started in 1970 for some good reasons and some not-so-good reasons. The good reason was being in the Boy Scouts and getting to see nature up close and personal. I thought there was something to be preserved and enjoyed. The other good thing was that my dad liked to conserve. He turned off the lights and turned off the water and saved string and tin foil and was an environmentalist without ever using the term. Those were the two good influences.
The negative one was living in smoggy Los Angeles. By 1970 I had lived 20 years in that smog and I wanted to do something that made a difference. That?s why I bought my first electric car, got involved in the first Earth Day and started recycling. What happened next is what I didn?t count on ? I started to save money.
I saved on everything! Taking public transportation or riding a bike was inexpensive. By recycling, I got a little bit of money for that. Everything I did, I did on a modest budget because I didn?t have a lot of dough. I did everything cheap and easy, down and dirty. I began saving money on my first billing cycles.
HT: Your commitment to eco-friendliness came before you achieved fame, then?
Ed: Oh, yeah, big time. In 1970 I was a broke, struggling actor with no fame whatsoever and no money.
HT: I think that even though the green movement is becoming more popular, most people aren?t really going out of their way to conserve. How do you motivate them?
Ed: I think you are right. Probably half of the people, or more, aren?t going to go to great lengths. What we have to do is show them, give them a taste of it, and get them hooked with the stuff that is cheap and easy to do. Then, let them see and experience the savings. That?s the trick.
Recycling is a gateway drug to further environmentalism, I think. So are compact fluorescent bulbs, energy saving thermostats, weather stripping, bike riding, if weather and fitness permits, and public transportation if it?s available near you. All that stuff, if you get people to try it and they like it, hooks people because they love saving money. That?s the way I present it, through that other dream known as money.
HT: Let?s say I have a small amount of money to invest in something to make my home more eco-friendly. And I want to earn that money back as soon as possible, given the low budget. What do I do?
Ed: You start with the cheapest and easiest stuff. Energy-saving light bulbs, energy-efficient thermostats, weather stripping along your doors and windows. More insulation is very effective, if you can afford some attic insulation. Pick the low-hanging fruit first and I promise you ? I promise everybody in America and the world ? that you will start saving money!
It took me 20 years to be able to afford solar electric. Twenty years! So I am not recommending that people do it any differently than I did. I didn?t get into any huge debt in 1970 by buying solar that I couldn?t afford. I did what I could then to save some money and moved up the ladder ? up and up until I could afford to do more.
HT: Just about anybody can do something now to save money and the environment.
Ed: Yes. That?s what I emphasize. I agree 100 percent. People need to make a list of things they can do and can afford and experience the savings. Once they get a taste of the savings while knowing they are protecting the environment, they want to do more.
HT: Can you give me an overview of your book, Living Like Ed?
Ed: Yes, it is a lot of what we were just talking about ? step-by-step tips, things people can do around their home or apartment, however they live, wherever they live. We use a little tree icon in the book, suggesting what represents the lowest- to highest-hanging fruit. The suggestions at the bottom of the tree ? the lowest-hanging fruit ? represent what we can do with minimal investment. Then there is the fruit hanging at the middle of the tree, like double-pane windows and solar hot water. At the top of the tree are big things like doing an energy retrofit on your house, buying solar electric and buying a hybrid car.
But nobody should start at the top of the tree. You start at the bottom and get a taste for it and get the energy savings and then move up the tree. You don?t run up Mount Everest with your first steps. You get acclimated and do what you can when you can.
HT: What?s next on your list?
Ed: A grey-water system (which filters household wastewater for reuse in the garden or for other purposes). I?ve always wanted a grey-water system and now it?s available. I know a guy who has a real nice one and I?m going to give it a try.
HT: I?ve seen Dennis Weaver?s video on the Earth Ship homes. Those are built from the ground up with the grey-water system, but you are retrofitting an existing home, correct?
Ed: Right, that?s the idea. Dig up the backyard and put a system in there. It?s always more expensive to do it later, but I?ve got a hankering to do it.
HT: Give me a quick perspective on what it?s like to have a reality TV show. I?m not a very social person and can?t imagine having a film crew around all the time. Is it a sacrifice?
Ed: If they were here all the time it would be quite an intrusion, quite an invasion in my life. They are here only a few days a week, sometimes as much as 12 hours a day, but often just six or seven hours. So, it?s not bad at all. It?s completely manageable.
I go to work in my home and they film while I work. Right now they are filming in the living room with Rachelle and I?m up here checking e-mail and talking to you. Then, they?ll come up and say, ?Ed, we?re ready for you now. Can you come down and talk about the solar?? So, I go down and work for 15 or 20 minutes and then come back up and read more e-mail. Not a bad job.?
Healthy Times wishes to thank Greg Glass of Brentwood Communications International, Inc. for his help arranging this interview.
About Ed Begley, Jr. Ed serves on the boards of several organizations including the Thoreau Institute, the Earth Communications Office, Tree People and Friends of the Earth. He has earned a number of prestigious awards from environmental groups, including the California League of Conservation Voters. Begley currently lives in Los Angeles in a solar-powered home with his wife Rachelle and their daughter Hayden. For more on Ed Begley, Jr., visit www.EdBegley.com. His new book, Living Like Ed, is available at major booksellers.
FOS Report
| 9/18/2009 | American League | Goal | Actual | % of Goal | Cash to Date | % of Cash | Cash 12/31 | 9/4/2009 | $ Raised to Date |
| Scoutreach | Tony Hayes | $35,000 | $38,408 | 109.7% | $20,193 | 52.6% | $27,483 | $38,308 | $100 |
| Mt. Rubidoux | Jim Nelson | $115,000 | $116,367 | 101.2% | $108,050 | 92.9% | $93,910 | $114,732 | $1,635 |
| Tahquitz | Donna Baker | $160,000 | $133,625 | 83.5% | $118,995 | 89.1% | $139,447 | $133,525 | $100 |
| 3 Peaks | Bill Marshall | $85,000 | $69,374 | 81.6% | $64,369 | 92.8% | $71,834 | $69,344 | $30 |
| Grayback | Paul Foster | $115,000 | $88,341 | 76.8% | $80,108 | 90.7% | $99,442 | $87,431 | $910 |
| High Desert | Owen Spencer | $115,000 | $88,335 | 76.8% | $50,563 | 57.2% | $102,208 | $88,240 | $95 |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
| . | National League | | | | | | | | |
| Temescal | Grant Clark | $142,000 | $105,120 | 74.0% | $88,921 | 84.6% | $128,149 | $105,100 | $20 |
| Sunrise | Ron Miller | $70,000 | $51,792 | 74.0% | $48,532 | 93.7% | $58,095 | $51,472 | $320 |
| 5 Nations | Carolyn Bailey | $60,000 | $42,294 | 70.5% | $32,852 | 77.7% | $35,929 | $42,093 | $201 |
| Old Baldy | Lynn Anderson-Castillo | $140,000 | $95,314 | 68.1% | $81,019 | 85.0% | $118,167 | $94,204 | $1,110 |
| Arrowhead | Maj. Russell Fritz | $95,000 | $62,561 | 65.9% | $54,842 | 87.7% | $70,970 | $62,516 | $45 |
| Learning for life | Andrea Mitchell | $40,000 | $20,926 | 52.3% | $9,267 | 44.3% | $31,538 | $20,926 | $0 |
| . | . |
$1,172,000 |
$912,457 |
77.9% |
$757,711 |
83.0% |
$977,172 |
$907,891 |
$4,566 |
| Congratulations to Mt. Rubidoux District, Jim Nelson and team. They have now achieved 100% of Goal |
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