HOOSIER TRAILS COUNCIL BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA 5625 E. STATE ROAD 46 BLOOMINGTON, IN 47401 - 9233

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 34 BLOOMINGTON, IN

Hoosier Trails Council Boy Scouts of America HoosierTrailsBSA.org

5625 East State Road 46 Bloomington, IN 47401

Scout Shop & Office Hours Monday - Friday 10 am to 5 pm

Saturday - 10 am to 2 pm Sunday - Closed

Phone 812.336.6809 * 800.844.6809

Character Connections is a quarterly newsletter of the Hoosier Trails Council,

that strives to share the Scouting movement with community leaders within

our 18-county service area.

The Hoosier Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America is one of several councils serving a specific geographic region within Indiana.

MISSION STATEMENT - It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

SCOUT OATH - On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

SCOUT LAW - A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.

The Hoosier Trails Council Service Center is located in Bloomington and serves 18 counties throughout south-central Indiana. The council is divided into four districts, each under the direction of local volunteers and a professional staff member.

• Hoosier Hills District: Dearborn, Jefferson, Ohio, Ripley, Switzerland • Lenni Lenape District: Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Jennings • Wapehani District: Brown, Monroe, Morgan, Owen • White River Trails: Daviess, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange

For more information on the life-changing programs of our movement, visit: www.HoosierTrailsBSA.org

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Character Connections Communications to Bridge the 18-counties of the Hoosier Trails Council, BSA - 2017, 3rd Quarter

Major Gifts Initiative, Changing Lives Early in September, the Marchant Ecology Lodge was dedicated at Maumee Scout Reservation. This first-class facility houses the ecology programs for Boy Scout Summer Camp in a tranquil setting that overlooks beautiful Lake Tarzian. During the summer camp off season this lodge is available for rental and offers the following features; Interior seating for 50, Covered patio seating for 40, Solar powered, Wood stove, viewing porch, Ceiling fans & Vehicle accessible. This fall construction will begin on a number of program and campsite shelters at MSR, along with a much needed renovation to the Camp Administration Building. Recent contributors to this initiative include Mike and M’lissa Baye, Mike and Nancy Foster, Dave Jacobs, Central Indiana United Way—Capital Fund, Frank Meenach and family, and Arvin Sango, Inc. The Caretaker home at Camp Louis Ernst will benefit from having a replacement roof this fall, as well.

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation’s largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. We deliver programs to our area youth that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of citizenship, and develops personal fitness. For over a century, the Boy Scouts of America has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. Our experience demonstrates that helping youth is key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society. In order to help secure our future, the Hoosier Trails Council is embarking upon a Major Gifts Initiative. Through this

ongoing effort we will raise tax-deductible contributions to support projects to improve and endow our key training facilities.

Scouting, Quality Family Time Recently, we conducted the Cub Scout Shoot-O-Ree, which turned out to be the largest event that I believe we have ever conducted at Maumee Scout Reservation. More than 750 registered Scouts attended with their families and somewhere between 1,200-1,500 people enjoyed a beautiful day and an awesome Scouting adventure. This one-day activity allows Scouts to shoot pictures, basketballs, BB gun, archery, soda bottle rockets, water guns, marshmallow shooters, etc. All things that are exciting to an elementary school aged boy. I was struck by the number of entire families that joined the event and it was great to see them experiencing quality family time together in Scouting. Seeing families having picnics on the tailgates of vehicles took me back to fond memories of time spent with my father at a father and son campout in the 1970’s. Based upon my decades of Scouting experiences, this is what I offer to families that are now embarking upon their trail to adventure:

When you join the Boy Scouts of America, Scouting is like an extension of your family: It follows your values, it sees to the overall care and well-being of your child, and it’s always there for you. It’s not an either/or choice you have to make for your child. It works with you to let you manage your time and other activities and will always be there when you return. Maturity. Youth experience dramatic physical and emotional growth. Scouting offers them opportunities to channel much of that change into productive endeavors. Through service projects and Good Turns, Scouts can discover their place in the community. Many Scouting activities allow youth to associate with others from different backgrounds. The religious emblems program offers pathways for Scouts to more deeply understand their duty to God. The unit provides each Scout with an opportunity to explore, to try out new ideas, and to

embark on adventures that sometimes have no design other than to have a good time with good people.

Flexibility. The Scouting programs are flexible and accommodate the need to balance the work and life requirements of a busy family. It’s easy to plan for meetings and activities, and if something unexpected comes up, just let your leader know—it’s expected in the lives we live today.

Adaptability. Your child can work on achievements at his or her own pace. For example, if your child is in a spring soccer league and has to miss several meetings and activities, he or she still can complete and sign off on Scout activities to work toward the next level.

Transferability. The skills and values your child learns through Scouting can be applied in any non-Scouting activity he or she participates in. As your child builds character, this can be an especially valuable defense to the peer pressure all youth experience when growing up.

Glen R. Steenberger, Scout Executive/CEO

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Building Resilience Through Scouting Article publishing in the September Edition of SCOUTINGWIRE

Resilience is the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, to bounce back from difficult experiences. This can be a particularly tricky character trait to teach because it is natural to want to protect children from emotionally difficult experiences. And it’s a trait that our programs help develop by providing young people opportunities to face challenges through adventures. These experiences help them build confidence in their ability to persevere. Recently, Yale University released a study that reminded me of some of the other ways our programs help families shape character and give young people the tools they need to face challenges in life.

In this study, 63,000 boys and girls between 12 and 17 years old took a survey designed to determine their levels of resilience in the face of adverse events, such as divorce or death. Researchers found that young people who engaged in extracurricular activities outside the home – volunteering, sports, paid or unpaid work – thrived in spite of experiencing these challenges. Those who were less involved showed lower levels of resilience and struggled more with their circumstances. This means that families who give young people opportunities to build their life skills and experiences outside of the home through organizations, such as Scouting, can give them quite a leg-up in their emotional development. The structure of the Boy Scouts of America not only provides young people a group of peers and adult leaders who can serve as friends and role models, it also gives them the responsibility of serving as leaders in our organization and in their communities. Having these experiences in childhood and early adulthood improves confidence, encourages independence and provides a sense of belonging. Outside of these benefits, nobody offers more exhilarating or diverse adventures for young people than the Boy Scouts of America. We structure adventure such that it gives young people the know-how to tackle experiences they’ll encounter for the rest of their lives. Whether it’s overcoming obstacles in the great outdoors, getting outside of their comfort zone to lead a team for a service project, or exploring career options through hands-on professional or scientific experiences, the content of our programs is designed to develop leadership, character and confidence. Adventure is a constant in Scouting and each day, new adventures grow Scouts into who they will become as adults. Let me know in the comments what innovative approaches you are using to share the character-building benefits of Scouting with families in your community.

Yours in Scouting,

Mike Surbaugh Chief Scout Executive Boy Scouts of America