Re: BOY'S LIFE
John Pannell (PANNELLJ@DELPHI.COM)
Sat, 30 Apr 1994 09:10:22 -0400
Scott --
Like you, I have also been reading the recent discussion on dues, and as an
aside, the cost of summer camp. It was a reality check for me.
My troop charges $27.00 per year for dues, this includes registration,
insurance and Boys' Life. Luckily for us, our council is one of the few
that provides advancement awards (merit badges and rank) to us for free so
we don't have that expense. Our summer camp this year, Cherokee Scout
Reservation in Yanceyville, NC, will cost $95 per week.
Even at those relatively low costs, we always have some who say they cannot
afford it. Some is true need. Some does, unfortunately, result from
families who would rather not pay. This is _not_ a personal judgment aimed
at any I work with, rather a basic statement of human nature.
In an environment such as ours in central NC, troops that charge $120 for
dues and councils that charge $150 (Yawgoog in RI) for summer camp, IMO,
would quickly find their ranks depleted.
Now to comment about your soapbox stump speech:
>soapbox on]
>
>The lines I'm reading between have to do with reduced rates for multiple
>boys in the same family. I hope this isn't because only one copy of
>Boy's Life is being sent to that household. IMHO, it's very important
>for *each* boy to be receiving his own personal copy addressed just to
>him and him alone, particularly at that age when something in the mail
>"just for them" is a rare and precious moment in their daily lives.
>(Rather as exciting as the first couple of times I got to use the
>lawnmower, drive somewhere by myself, etc.: it loses its flavor over
>time, but those types of events are important to an 11 year old) And,
>it's only $7.80 per year. I still remember quite well receiving my own
>copy, not having to share it with my older brother, addressed to
>"Scott" and letting me know for just a moment that I'm not just
>"Danny's brother", and I still have most of them in my bookshelves.
>[soapbox off]
In principle, I agree wholeheartedly with you, how ever practical concerns
are another nature. We give a reduced rate for additional boys in a
household which is for exactly the reason you inferred; to exclude
additional copies of Boys' Life. Apparently we are allowed to do this by
National and still get our 100% Boys' Life ribbon.
The parents wish it this way. In every case to date, they view multiple
copies of Boys' Life as wasteful and an unneeded expense. To them, the
$7.80 is a matter of concern. I do not work in an urban troop or with a
unit that has a large amount of economically disadvantaged families. They
simply view this extra outlay of money to be wasteful and place little to no
value on a boy receiving mail addressed specifically to him.
On a related topic... We also have several boys who will freely admit to
never picking up Boys' Life. To them it is a waste. Any ideas how to
correct this situation? As a point of information, they are required to
subscribe to Boys' Life and with the exception of multiple members in the
same household, cannot elect to not subscribe.
John E. Pannell
ASM Troop 39
Old North State Council (NC)
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City | 
