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Eagle Project and Airfare for Scouts


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I agree with SR540Beaver,

The project should be closer to home.

 

I'm sure that it would be a worthy project, but maybe for a church group to coordinate. Perhaps the lad could lead that effort through his church.

 

Eagle project should be close to home.

 

 

OGE,

I was waving a bic lighter reading your post, sniffle, wipe tear, sniff, aw c'mon OGE, home is wear you hang your hat, not necessarily where you used to hang your sombrero.

 

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Thank you all for your comments. I'm glad my son and I were not the ones who made the suggestion. I will encourage him to keep looking for other avenues to help this young man out.

 

By the way the district eagle committee especially the committee chair encouraged him a lot more than I did. Sadly I thought he was biting off more than he could chew and tried to get him to do another project.

 

Thanks,

 

Gilski

 

 

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gilski,

How far into Mexico are you talking? Just over the border or down aways? Whem is the project suppose to take place? Have you contacted your Council's or National's International Committee about the appropriate paperwork? Has your son and troop looked at the Internation Tour and Exchange Booklet? Is there a Mexican troop in the area that could host your troop, and assist in the project, become a sister troop. possibly lowering your son's costs?

I'm sure that WOSM would be interested in this project and how it turns out. They may be a good source for information.

I'ld like to be sitting on this EBOR to see the looks on their faces if your son pulls this off, 10 of his fellow Scouts, 4 or 5 adults, possibly who knows how many Mexican Scouts and leaders. Makes for some interesting possibilities.

 

OGE, don't go shuffling those feet yet.

 

gilski, If your troop does hook up with a Mexican troop, offer to host them sometime. Take a look at the International Activity Patch requirements.

 

If your son is mature, feels he can handle this size project and has the backing and support, let him go for it. It will make for one heck of a resume discussion.

 

Good luck to your son, and you leaders that will be helping.

 

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Yah, I think FScouter has the right of it here.

 

The boy should be able to pursue his vision and his own lights as he formulates an Eagle Project Proposal. It's his project, and I wouldn't say "no" to a project that helps others around the world. We've had a bunch of projects that helped servicemen overseas who weren't part of our "local community".

 

When a lad asks for support, each person and group chooses whether and how they're able to help. A troop can say yes or no, a business can say yes or no, a CO can say yes or no. How each of us responds when asked depends on our mission and our way of thinkin', eh? All that is part of the learning that comes with doin' an Eagle project - how you stitch together enough support to make it fly, or how you modify if yeh can't get that support.

 

There's nothing here that's policy, except what is local policy of the CO. I've never seen a district committee bat an eye over small-scale direct monetary donations either; fact is, I reckon at least a third of the proposals that get approved have 'em. Just don't go solicitin' a big local business for a large donation in a way that interferes with FOS, and everybody's goin' to be fine with things (if you are).

 

Beavah

 

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Beavah: "We've had a bunch of projects that helped servicemen overseas who weren't part of our "local community"."

 

I understand what you are getting at, but it is not the same thing as traveling to another country to do the project. I'm willing to bet that the Eagle projects that you've seen that benefit servicemen overseas were projects done within the local community who most likely have soldiers or soldiers relatives living in the community.

 

 

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While I don't remember ever seeing that the project has to be done in the Scouts local community.

I do feel that if it does take an entire village to raise a child -The child kinda owes the village a little something.

OJ, did his project for the local YMCA.

We have been looking for a place to hold his graduation party.

The YMCA has a really nice pavilion with volley ball nets, horse shoe pits, tether ball (All of which are thanks to OJ) Kitchen.

I called to ask what dates were free and the cost.

When they found out it was for OJ, they couldn't have been more helpful and said that there would be no charge.

Which helped make me a happy camper.

Eamonn

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I'm willing to bet that the Eagle projects that you've seen that benefit servicemen overseas were projects done within the local community who most likely have soldiers or soldiers relatives living in the community.

 

Often.

 

I do know of at least one Eagle project that was related to Hurricane Katrina relief which actually involved travel to Mississippi. It was an outstanding project, where the scout showed incredible leadership, and worked closely with adults from the CO and youth from his troop and several other groups.

 

I vaguely recall hearin' of one out-of-country project in another council. If my ancient memory serves, the boy had been in Mexico the previous year with his Venture Patrol, and had befriended several people there, with the scouts also participating in a local service project as part of his patrol. He kept in touch, and planned his Eagle project as a combination fund-raising and work project for some other big need.

 

Both of these seem like worthy projects to me. Not sure why we'd want to stand in their way.

 

Beavah

 

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I have been our District Advancement Chair for the past 15 years. I had to step down due to Medical Reasons. In that time I have had to contact National with numerous questions. I have read all of the responses to your inquiry. I did not see any mention of PASSPORTS or MEDICALS and the needed INOCULATIONS. Who will be paying for this? If a Eagle Candidate wants to do a fundraiser he MUST submit a fundraiser to his local Council first, for their approval. There are numerous details that have to be worked out. Who is doing this? You the adult, or the Eagle Candidate? As a last note ALL of the monies raised in the fundraiser must be used for the project. ANY monies left over must be donated to a Non Profit Organization. NOT the Troop.

The concept is great, but I am sure there are local groups that could use your help help.

 

Yours in Scouting,

RichB

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If a Eagle Candidate wants to do a fundraiser he MUST submit a fundraiser to his local Council first, for their approval.

 

Yah, well, sort of. I think yeh may have misinterpreted the advice you were gettin'. The way most councils work, the Eagle Project approval process is the approval for any fundraisers that are part of da project. Unit money-earning applications are for units, eh, not for Eagle projects.

 

The thing to remember is that generally fundraisin' associated with an Eagle project is done on behalf of the organization benefiting from the project. So the BSA really has no say in how, for example, the local Hospice fundraises to support a project an Eagle candidate is doin'.

 

There are numerous details that have to be worked out. Who is doing this? You the adult, or the Eagle Candidate?

 

The Eagle candidate, of course. Why would the adult be doin' it?

 

As a last note ALL of the monies raised in the fundraiser must be used for the project. ANY monies left over must be donated to a Non Profit Organization. NOT the Troop.

 

Nah, this isn't quite right, eh? The monies should be used as directed by the donors/contributors. In most cases, that means an Eagle candidate should give any surplus to the organization for whom he was doin' the work. But in some cases he may give the money back to the contributors, or may, at their direction, give it to the troop. The point is just to have an honest plan.

 

When I participate in project approvals with fundraisin', I like to see a plan for how money will be accounted for and held, along with the project budget. That seems reasonable and sufficient. If larger amounts are involved, workin' with the CO or beneficiary on tax-deductibility of donations seems reasonable.

 

Beavah

 

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My son has not discussed the subject with any leaders accept the one who made the suggestion. After reading the replies, he has no intention of accepting financial aid from the troop for this young man. He has a decided to use money he earned from mowing to help with the expense.

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