Re: Eagle project question.
(no name) ((no email))
Sat, 18 May 1996 17:26:35 -0500
Jim Ficklin wrote:
>I was talking with my son last night about his need for an eagle
>project. He has an idea which would result in a fun community activity
>and would probably generate funds which he would like to contribute to a
>worthy cause. Since he knows our council has some debts that need to be
>retired, he would like to give the funds to the council.
The fog is not dense in your brain, and you did remember correctly, Jim.
Unfortunately, while his heart is in the right place, the National Court of
Honor would say that this is not an appropriate Eagle Scout service
project, since it does benefit Scouting in some tangible (donating funds to
the local Council) way.
However, there's nothing that says that he cannot do the project anyway
and still give the funds to the Council, and the Council recognizes his
service in some tangible way (I will have to ask the "experts" about whether
or not if he gave $1000 or $5000 to the local Council, if he would be eligible
for the West Fellowship...great question, Mike!!! (does anyone out there
know for sure?) )
Lots of Councils are having a time this year meeting their SME/FOS
(Sustaining Membership Enrollment/Friends of Scouting, the annual
authorized giving program undertaken in almost all of our local Councils)
goals this year. Anything that can help a Council to meet those goals
would be appreciative, but NOT at the level of "signing off" on a Eagle
service project.
>Since he is a
>runner, he is proposing to organize some kind of a fun run for the
>community. As is traditional, there would be an entry fee to cover costs
>of awards, ribbons, permissions for the course, etc. If he is successful
>and there are enough entries there would likely be a surplus of funds
>over these costs. All labor for laying out the course, hospitality to
>runners, timing, awards ceremony, publicity, handling registrations, etc.
>would be organized by my son using members of the troop and others as
>volunteers under his direction.
It sounds like a WONDERFUL fundraiser for your Council, and I'm really
suprised that nobody there thought about doing a fun run!! The only
real problem, besides the fact that it wouldn't be considered an Eagle
project, is that you may have some corporate partners that have ALREADY
given to the local Council's SME/FOS campaign this year, and now a
unit is asking for additional funding...this may cause a problem whereby
they will decide that since they have contributed twice this year that next
year, they won't give anything.
Check with your Council Scout Executive on how to proceed with this
if he chooses to do it anyways.
>Of course, he could support some other worthy cause, but he really likes
>the idea of supporting his council...
I do and I'm sure that there are others here that wished that your son was
in THEIR Council, as they are trying to "wrap up" 1996's campaign.
There are many other worthwhile groups in the community. Do this for
him, please: write down a listing of those community organizations that
HAVE NOT been "in the news" recently or that you and him can identify
that are having financial problems (as in "if we don't have $2000, we will
have to cut or eliminate our services to the community" kind of problems;
not the "with $2000, we can provide additional services"). Present the list
to your son. Ask him to decide which group the proceeds should go to by
going to each of the organizations and seeing what they presently do and if he
feels confortable raising monies to go toward their organization. Then have
him to narrow it down to those two or three groups that he thinks "need
anything I raise" the most. Then have him to WRITE each of those
organizations, explaining the PROPOSED event, and asking if he chose their
organization to give the monies to, what would they use them for?
This would NOT be as *heartwarming* as giving it to the local
Council, Jim. But if you son decided to go ahead and do the run and present
the monies to another group, you will see a GREAT AMOUNT of
additional leadership and character development emerge from your son's
exploration into other agencies that perhaps he has heard of, but never
considered doing anything with.
More importantly, it will give that organization some great PR, which they
can capitalize on in getting the story of THEIR organization out to the
public.
I knew of a kid when I was growing up that did a "Volksmarch". It's
German for "People's March", a variation of a Walk-a-thon. Volksmarches
are NOT done "for time" but are done as a communal "get-together". Along
the way, you can get something to eat, have your picture taken, have
a "character" drawn (I forget what that's called), and at the end, listen to a
German band play "umpah" music as you wait for the rest to complete...it's
EXTREMELY popular in Europe. This kid, just returning from Germany
with his family, decided that they should have one here. He put the entire
thing together, and donated the proceeds to the Child Services Center for
a new playground. The installation decided, after hearing about the plan,
to match 3 for 1 every dollar which was collected, and two local vendors
donated food and drinks all day long. He even got ahold of a German
resturant to come out and prepare REAL German food and on that day
only, they were allowed to sell their wares on base without the "permits"
neccessary to do so. The high school provided the "German band".
He did it as an Eagle project and it was so well received that the post
ended up doing it five times more before the "Volksmarch" trend
kinda just died....but I still have a certificate around here somewhere where
I participated, and the Scout (James Carr), earned Eagle. He was in a
competing Troop (Troop 127, known to us kids as "the rich kids' Troop"
because of it's membership of the sons of many of the installation's
senior officers and non-commissioned officers and because it was
chartered to the hospital, with an unending number of adults that they
can "pull in" to help out the Troop).
So, what I'm saying, Jim, is try to redirect your son to perhaps looking
over the hedge of the BSA and the local Council (even though they can
use the money!!) and see if there's another group out there that can use
the monies more directly and locally.
Let us all know how and what your son decided....I would LOVE to have
his enthusiam over in Evansville and I know that the Council would love
it too!!!!!
Settummanque!
(MAJ) Mike L. Walton (Settummanque, the blackeagle) (
co-Owner, Blackeagle Services of Kentucky (502.826.7046) __)_
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