A capaci ty-bui lding campaign to

expand the programs and ser vices

of Crossroads of America Counci l

Boy Scouts of America

Once upon a time, Scouting was a one-size-fits-all proposition. Many moms stayed home. Many dads worked 8-to-5. And many sons of the city, country and suburbs joined look-alike Scout troops to build character and experience the great outdoors.

It doesn’t work that way anymore.

It’s not just your father’s Scouting (nor should it be)

Whe

n Sh

elbyv

ille B

oy S

cout L

evi W

eakl

ey m

et U

.S. A

rmy v

etera

n Sh

erm

an W

illia

ms,

the t

wo q

uick

ly hi

t it o

ff. Th

e tee

nage

mili

tary

-hi

story

buff

was

full

of qu

estion

s, an

d th

e Wor

ld W

ar II

com

bat m

edic,

who

serv

ed u

narm

ed in

maj

or ba

ttles

thro

ugho

ut E

urop

e, ha

d pl

enty

of st

ories

to te

ll. W

hat t

he v

etera

n di

dn’t

have

, Wea

kley

disc

over

ed, w

as al

l of t

he m

edal

s he d

eserv

ed. S

o the

She

lbyv

ille t

een

mad

e an

appe

al on

Will

iam

s’ beh

alf t

o U.S

. Sen

. Rich

ard

Luga

r. A

few m

onth

s lat

er, W

eakl

ey fo

und

him

self p

inni

ng on

Will

iam

s’ che

st a B

ronz

e Sta

r, th

e fou

rth-h

ighest

awar

d for

val

or in

mili

tary

serv

ice. S

ubseq

uent

ly, W

eakl

ey h

elped

the 8

4-ye

ar-o

ld v

etera

n ge

t tw

o oth

er m

edal

s he s

houl

d ha

ve be

en aw

arde

d de

cade

s ago

. The t

imin

g was

good

: In

April

200

7, W

illia

ms p

assed

away

. “H

e wen

t to b

at

for m

e and

got m

e the

med

als,”

Will

iam

s told

the S

helb

yvill

e New

s in

2006

. “I’m

pro

ud of

the y

oung

man

to d

o tha

t for

me.”

Today, kids grow up in different kinds of worlds. Many

grow up in families where both parents work. Others

grow up with only one parent. Some with none at all.

Kids also grow up in wealth and in poverty.

With a dizzying array of choices (not all of them

positive). With technology that shows them the world,

but doesn’t connect them to meaningful relationships.

Some kids grow up without speaking English.

Some without role models. Some with few chances to

visit the neighborhood down the street, let alone the

great outdoors.

In such a society, we clamor for programs that

can do more than fill kids’ time — programs that also

can shape leaders, character and minds. But even among

one of the most proven such programs in the world

— Scouting — one-size-fits-all no longer cuts it.

Fortunately, Scouting in central Indiana today

is creative, customized and cutting-edge. Among tens

of thousands of nonprofits designed to solve problems,

Scouting actually prevents them. Seeing the impact,

kids and families are signing up, sticking with it and

celebrating the short- and long-term results.

Problem is, there’s not enough capacity, nor the

right kind of capacity, to meet all the need.

When Scouting entered its fifteenth year in 1925, the young men in its ranks earned increasing respect for service to others by helping to aid victims of natural disasters such as a tornado in Illinois, an earthquake in California and flooding in Arkansas.

Bottom line: With your help, we can implement a smart, well-conceived plan to

expand and tailor this proven “New Scouting” to serve even more central Indiana

young people and their families.

As the organization reached its second decade, it grew increasingly international through World Jamborees, relationships with Scouts in Europe, Scouts participating in expeditions to Africa and other global connections.

Alth

ough

Mich

ael J

r., K

elly a

nd Jo

shua

Rich

ards

on al

l ear

ned

the r

ank o

f Eag

le Sc

out,

their

dad

, Mich

ael S

r., is

quick

to ad

mit

that

there

w

ere ti

mes

whe

n th

e boy

s alm

ost d

ropp

ed ou

t of B

oy S

couts.

It w

asn’t

seen

as co

ol by

som

e of t

heir

frien

ds, h

e say

s, w

ho w

ere m

ore i

ntere

sted

in sp

orts

or ju

st ha

ngin

g out

. But

even

after

he an

d th

e boy

s’ moth

er, C

alle R

ichar

dson

, div

orced

, the

paren

ts w

orke

d tog

ether

to m

ake s

ure

all th

ree bo

ys con

tinue

d to

parti

cipat

e in

Scou

ting.

Why

? Beca

use t

hey k

now

Boy

Scou

ts is

a posi

tive f

orce

in a

wor

ld fi

lled

with

neg

ativ

e pe

er pr

essur

e. “S

coutin

g gav

e the

m an

optio

n to

do w

hat’s

righ

t,” M

ichae

l Rich

ards

on sa

ys. “

There

’s so m

uch s

tuff

out t

here

to do

wro

ng.”

Th

is po

sitiv

e par

enta

l pres

sure

seem

s to h

ave p

aid

off: T

oday

, 18-

year

-old

Josh

ua an

d 20

-yea

r-old

Kell

y are

both

in co

llege

, and

, afte

r a

succe

ssful

footb

all ca

reer a

t Eas

tern

Mich

igan

Uni

versi

ty, 2

2-ye

ar-o

ld M

ichae

l Jr.

spen

t par

t of h

is su

mm

er pa

rticip

atin

g in

NFL

tryo

uts.

Disciplined, “be-prepared” capacity building — not pie in the sky

When top business leaders from throughout central

Indiana volunteer to plot a future for Scouting, we ask

them to not only contribute their expertise, but also

to practice what we preach. That means, for example,

that our planning process must toe the line of the Scout

laws: Trustworthiness, helpfulness and thriftiness play

starring roles. Most of all, it means “be prepared” — for

different kinds of kids from many different parts of a

fast-changing world.

So the plans you see here have been vetted

by thoughtful people. Many alternatives have been

carefully considered.

What’s more, all of the planning and

forecasting has been donated by the best in the business.

Those who implement this plan will be asked (or will

volunteer without being asked) to do the same.

Consequently, this $16 million campaign

is based on what’s essential now, rather than simply

seeking more than the $22 million raised last time. It’s

a campaign designed not to sustain what exists, but

to expand the capacity of proven programs faced with

growing demand. As a result, it offers contributors a

refreshing departure in a philanthropic age of ever-

escalating, near-continuous funding appeals: a goal

that’s less than our last capital campaign — a campaign

that was launched 10 years ago.

Bottom line: If you choose to help our community through this disciplined

initiative, your dollars will go where they should go — to benefit young people

and their families in proven-effective ways.

In the 1930s, membership grew to more than 1 million. When the U.S. entered World War II, Scouts took an active role in the stateside war effort, distributing bonds and collecting aluminum and other resources. Scouting’s ranks quickly grew to include nearly 2 million young men.

The 1950s saw Scouts become more engaged nationally, with activities such as a get-out-the-vote initiative, blood-donor campaigns and clothing collections for poor and disaster-affected families.

Paul

Pag

e isn

’t pr

ogres

sing t

hrou

gh ba

dges

and

rank

s as q

uick

ly as

som

e of h

is bu

ddies

, and

he’s n

ot ab

le to

keep

up w

ith th

em in

ever

y ac

tivity

. But

, his

mom

is ha

ppy t

o rep

ort,

nobo

dy ge

ts m

ore o

ut of

Scou

ting t

han

this

13-y

ear-

old bo

y with

autis

m. Th

at’s w

hy D

onna

Pa

ge ha

s jum

ped

into

Scou

ting h

ersel

f, ta

king

Scou

tmas

ter tr

aini

ng an

d joi

ning

her s

on on

cam

pout

s and

at v

irtua

lly ev

ery m

eetin

g. In

vited

into

Scou

ting l

ast y

ear b

y Jam

es Ag

resta

, a fr

iend

from

chur

ch, P

aul q

uick

ly fou

nd hi

msel

f am

ong k

ind

and

unde

rstan

ding

fri

ends

who

encou

rage

him

but a

lso ex

pect

him

to w

ork h

ard

and

do hi

s par

t. “It

’s suc

h a gr

eat o

ppor

tuni

ty fo

r Pau

l to b

e with

othe

r kid

s an

d to

learn

to w

ork w

ith ot

her b

oys,”

Don

na sa

ys. S

he ad

ds th

at he

’s alre

ady s

how

n sig

ns of

grow

ing t

hrou

gh th

e less

ons h

e’s le

arne

d fro

m S

coutin

g. “I

just

can’t

say e

noug

h abo

ut th

e exp

erien

ce.”

Help bring innovative, customized Scouting programs to urban, rural and other settings where young people have tremendous needs

For many people, the stereotypical

Scout troop meets at a church or school,

has committed adult volunteers with

seemingly endless time, and includes a

homogenous-looking group of boys in

identical uniforms.

Some troops still look like that.

But if Scouting is to make the additional

difference that’s so desperately needed, it

needs to be as varied as the young people,

families and communities that could

benefit from Scouting.

Today, central Indiana’s

ScoutReach program is bringing a new

brand of highly customized Scouting

to economically strapped urban and

rural areas. It’s serving families from

many kinds of backgrounds, and whose

cultural and language differences must

be addressed if Scouting is to make a

meaningful difference. It’s helping kids

and families with special needs. It’s even

helping the juvenile justice system cut

down on repeat offenses.

But customization takes time,

effort and creativity. In economically

disadvantaged areas, for example, adult

volunteers aren’t always available. Many

are working multiple jobs. Single parents

of multiple children aren’t always able

to leave one child to serve the Scouting

interests of another. So we must pay part-

time Scout leaders and involve parents in

ways that require less of their time.

Another example: Hispanic

Scouts often have their entire family

in tow — from grandparents to aunts,

cousins to siblings, parents and more. So

we shape family-focused programming.

“Our challenge,” said U.S.

Appellate Judge Carl Stewart, “is to

deliver a traditional Scouting program in

non-traditional circumstances.”

STRATEGY

Bottom line: By funding the three strategies outlined in this document, we can

leverage a direct ScoutReach investment of $3,798,000 into $7,865,333 of total

benefit to disadvantaged youth and their families.

Aman

da A

lbee h

as h

ad pl

enty

of op

portu

nitie

s to h

elp ot

hers.

The d

augh

ter an

d sis

ter of

Eag

le Sc

outs,

she s

pent

her

youn

ger y

ears

tagg

ing a

long o

n Sc

outin

g ser

vice

proje

cts. A

s she

has

grow

n old

er, sh

e’s v

olunt

eered

at h

ospita

ls an

d pa

rticip

ated

in ch

urch

miss

ion

trip

s. Bu

t it w

as in

the s

umm

er of

200

7, w

hen

she a

nd ei

ght o

ther

youn

g men

and

wom

en fr

om h

er V

entu

ring c

rew re

paire

d an

d rep

aint

ed K

atrin

a-da

mag

ed h

omes

in N

ew O

rlean

s, th

at sh

e felt

she t

ruly

help

ed so

meo

ne. O

n he

r las

t day

in N

ew O

rlean

s, Am

anda

fou

nd h

ersel

f ove

rwhe

lmed

by th

e hor

rific h

urric

ane e

xper

iences

desc

ribed

by th

e peo

ple w

ho li

ve in

a ho

use s

he w

as pa

intin

g. It

help

ed

her u

nder

stand

wha

t the

y had

been

thro

ugh,

and

wha

t her

crew

’s effo

rts m

eant

to th

em. “

I lov

e to h

elp ot

her p

eopl

e,” sa

ys A

man

da,

now

a pr

e-m

ed st

uden

t at W

itten

berg

Uni

versi

ty. “

Ever

y cha

nce t

hat I

get,

that

’s wha

t I w

ant t

o do.”

Help adapt and maintain a strategically tiered network of central Indiana camps that meet the varied needs of central Indiana Scouts

There’s nothing like time at camp to

build character, self-confidence and

camaraderie. For young people from

families with the time and money to

travel and share adventures — or kids

who grow up with adults who love the

outdoors — camp can be a comfortable,

welcome experience.

But not all kids grow up that

way. For those raised in poverty, travel

rarely happens. For kids who grow up

in cities with lots of lights and noise, a

dark, quiet forest and a massive lake can

be frightening.

So for central Indiana to serve

many kinds of Scouts from many kinds

of backgrounds, it needs a well-designed,

well-maintained network of camps

— challenging places for experienced

Scouts; smaller, less-threatening places

for f irst-time campers; and a rookie-

level camp for younger Scouts. It also

needs a co-ed camp for high-school-age

Venturers.

Bottom line: Our $6 million Strategy 2 goal would allow us to provide the

appropriate camp experience to Scouts from all walks of life, all Scouting levels

and all expectations.

STRATEGY

Fortunately, the Crossroads of

America Council owns the land it needs.

But not all the camps are outfitted in

ways that would provide the needed

level of customization. With your help,

however, we can implement a well-

planned series of improvements that will

enable more Scouts from more diverse

backgrounds and levels of experience to

reap the proven benefits of camp.

The most significant of these

improvements is to update and upgrade

Camp Krietenstein (near Terre Haute).

This smaller, more close-knit camp is

the right venue for f irst-time campers,

especially those from urban areas. Its

retrofit will simultaneously address the

need for a Venturing co-ed camp for high

school youth.

Ed F

inch

know

s tha

t his

Scou

ts ar

en’t t

ypica

l Boy

Scou

ts. L

ocked

insid

e the

Pen

dleto

n Ju

veni

le Co

rrect

ional

Fac

ility

, the

y can

’t cam

p, w

ork

in th

e com

mun

ity or

enjoy

othe

r typ

ical S

coutin

g acti

vitie

s. So

Fin

ch, a

Pen

dleto

n R

ecrea

tion

Lead

er, br

ings

Scou

ting t

o the

m. Th

roug

h pub

lic

spea

king

and c

ultu

ral a

war

eness

trai

ning

, Fin

ch ho

pes t

o help

the b

oys a

dvoca

te for

them

selve

s and

appr

eciat

e the

diffe

rences

amon

g the

m.

He p

uts t

hem

to w

ork w

ith se

rvice

proje

cts su

ch as

pulli

ng w

eeds a

nd co

llecti

ng po

p-ca

n ta

bs fo

r Rile

y Hosp

ital f

or C

hild

ren, w

hich

helps

th

em th

ink l

ess se

lfish

ly. A

nd th

roug

h it a

ll, he

hope

s to h

elp th

em gr

ow. D

oes i

t wor

k? F

inch

note

s pro

udly

that

last

year

, whe

n th

e fac

ility

ex

perie

nced

a rio

t, no

ne of

the b

oys i

nvolv

ed in

Scou

ting p

artic

ipat

ed. “

I thi

nk th

e Scou

ting p

rogr

am he

lps th

em w

ith th

e cho

ices t

hey m

ake,”

he

says

. And

wha

t do t

he bo

ys th

ink?

Well

, with

only

14 sp

ots av

aila

ble in

the p

rogr

am, F

inch

alw

ays h

as a

list o

f boy

s wai

ting t

o par

ticip

ate.

Improve access so it’s easier for central Indiana Scouts, families and volunteers to sign up, get trained and participate in Scouting

Even the best, most customized program

won’t succeed if it’s not easily accessible

and convenient. And right now, with

antiquated technology and a landlocked

downtown training center, central

Indiana Scouting is not very accessible.

That’s costing us volunteers, parental

involvement and regional participation

that are crucial to community impact.

Right now, Scouting operates

from an overcrowded, out-grown facility

on one of Indianapolis’ busiest downtown

streets. There’s not enough parking for

volunteers and parents who need training.

Not enough space for the supplies they

need. And if you want to show someone

how to pitch a tent, the only space is the

alley beside the building.

If we’re to “be prepared” to

extend proven programs to more Scouts

in more ways with more impact, the

best, most cost-effective solution is to

build a new kind of Scout Education and

Program Center in a more convenient

location already owned by the Crossroads

of America Council. That’s the

conclusion of a 21-member business-

Bottom line: With $6 million for improved physical and cyber spaces, we can

reach and serve more Scouts, potential Scouts and volunteers with welcoming,

accessible and exciting opportunities.

STRATEGY

leader task force that considered a host

of alternatives — from remodeling or

expanding the current facility, to adding

facilities, to acquiring or building new.

And while physical access is

vital, electronic access is outmoded, too.

Scouts, potential Scouts, parents and

volunteers have, of course, become much

savvier in their use of technology. If

we’re to make the most effective use of

limited volunteer time, engage parents

with hectic schedules, and make the

most effective connection with young

people on their preferred cyber turf, then

significant enhancements are essential.

Again, a team of volunteer business

leaders worked with tech-industry

experts to hone the most cost-effective

mix of improvements needed to enhance

electronic access and training.

Seve

ntee

n-ye

ar-o

ld K

evin

Bur

saw

often

saw

the l

ong l

ines

outsi

de th

e Trin

ity F

ree C

linic

on S

atur

day m

orni

ngs.

He k

new

that

the

peop

le in

those

line

s, m

ost of

them

Hisp

anic

and

all o

f the

m u

nable

to a

fford

hea

lth ca

re, o

ften

show

ed u

p tw

o or e

ven

three

hou

rs be

fore

the c

linic

open

ed fo

r its

wee

kly fr

ee m

edica

l ser

vices

. And

he i

mag

ined

how

tirin

g it m

ust b

e to s

tand

and

wai

t all

that

tim

e. So

one d

ay

he ga

ther

ed to

ols an

d m

ater

ials

and

head

ed to

the c

linic

to in

stall

some b

ench

es. B

efore

his E

agle

Proje

ct w

as co

mpl

ete, K

evin

had

not

on

ly in

stalle

d th

ree be

nche

s, bu

t also

enlis

ted 1

5 vo

lunt

eers,

truc

ked

in 2

,800

pou

nds o

f cem

ent,

knoc

ked

out a

fenc

e, ba

ttled

swar

ms

of be

es an

d pl

anted

coun

tless

flow

ers,

all t

o crea

te a w

elcom

ing a

nd co

mfor

table

plac

e for

clin

ic vi

sitor

s to w

ait.

“This

was

all p

ossib

le be

caus

e of S

coutin

g,” K

evin

says

. “W

hat S

coutin

g mea

ns m

ost to

me i

s help

ing o

ther

s.”

Since the Boy Scouts of America was founded in 1910, more than 110 million young men and women have found the organization to be an exciting and relevant way to serve, grow and enjoy their youth.

Bottom line: More Scouts. More ways. More impact.

At the Crossroads of America Council, we don’t ask

for major gift dollars often. In fact, we don’t ask unless

these funds can truly make a difference. And we don’t

ask unless there’s a genuine need.

But right now, every day, we see young people

— right here in central Indiana — who need our

help and yours. We see problems that affect all of us.

Problems that could have been prevented if we had just

reached the right kids with the right programs at the

right time.

Please, consider a gift to benefit one or more

of the three strategies outlined here — an expansion of

customized Scouting programs, a strategic network of

camps, or increased accessibility. Our campaign staff

and volunteers would love to tell you more, and to help

shape a gift or grant that’s meaningful to you, to young

people in need, and to the community we all share.

As the nation turned its attention to the environment during the 1960s and ’70s, Scouting took a leading role with efforts such as cleaning thousands of miles of highways and gathering millions of tons of litter.

How much will our community benefit? It’s up to you.

Customized Scouting Expansion $3,798,000 Your gift to expand customized Scouting will help serve more Scouts in more ways and make more impact via:

• After-school Scouting expansion

• Special-needs Scouting expansion

• Public housing/community center Scouting expansion

• Hispanic Scouting expansion

• Juvenile-diversion and juvenile-corrections Scouting expansion

• Explorer/Venturer Scouting expansion

• Scouting subsidies to help more low-income families

• Scout Education and Program Center curriculum for ScoutReach families

• Camp improvements for special-needs ScoutReach participants

Measurable expansion impact (by 2012)

• Expand ScoutReach 27 percent (from 11,047 to 14,060 youth)

• Expand classic Scouting 6 percent (from 19,271 to 20,400 youth)

• Expand Venturing/Exploring 52 percent (from 2,689 to 4,100 youth)

• Overall expansion 17 percent (from 33,007 to 38,560 youth)

Giving opportunitiesMeasurable differences you can make

STRATEGY

Strategic Camp Network $6,016,000Your gift to Scout camps will help serve more Scouts in more ways and make more impact via: • Renovation of Camp Krietenstein to serve first-time Scouts, ScoutReach and Venturer campers• Targeted renovations to camps serving Scouts throughout the Crossroads of America Council• Addition to long-term maintenance fund to care for Council facilities over time • Even safer camp facilities that enhance parents’ peace of mind

Measurable impact you can make (by 2012)

• Increase ScoutReach youth at camp by 50 percent (from 1,000 per year to 1,500 per year)• Increase total annual camper days by 20 percent (from 249,000 camper days per year to 300,000)• Provide meaningful outdoor experience for at least 400 Venturers annually

STRATEGY

Enhanced Scouting Access $6,186,000Your gift to enhance access will help serve more Scouts in more ways and make more impact via: • New Scout Education and Program Center• Enhanced technology to make Scouting more convenient for Scouts, families and volunteers throughout central Indiana

Measurable impact you can make (by 2012)

Retention impact • Among all Scouts (from 66.4 percent to 70 percent)• Among low-income Scouts (from 61 percent to 65 percent)

Volunteerism impact• Increase number of volunteers by 26 percent (from 11,139 to 14,000)• Increase mentoring time available by 26 percent (from 3 million hours annually to 3.78 million hours annually)• Create new learning opportunities at Scout Education and Program Center for 2,200 ScoutReach leaders and families annually

STRATEGY

What else you get when you help Scouting and Crossroads of America Council

Better education for our young peopleScouts have 15 percent higher high school graduation rates than non-Scouts

Strong valuesScouts are 44 percent more likely than non-Scouts to agree that “helping others should come before one’s own interests”

More commitment to serviceScouts are 33 percent more interested than non-Scouts in volunteer service

Shaping future leaders Scouts are 50 percent more likely than non-Scouts to have leadership responsibilities when they become adults

Regional reachCrossroads of America Council serves young people and their families in 25 central Indiana counties with a population of 2.3 million

Well-trained and active volunteersMore than 11,000 central Indiana adults volunteer for Scouting

Crossroads of America Counci lBoy Scouts of America1900 Nor th Mer idian St reetIndianapol is , IN 46206(317) 925-1900www.crossroadsbsa.org

Photography provided by Tom Casal iniA l l images proper t y o f Boy Scouts o f Amer ica