April 7, 2021 | Greater Los Angeles Area Council, BSA |
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Invitation to Eagle Scout Celebration
2021 Virtual Eagle Scout Celebration – Greater Los Angeles Area Council, BSA
April 29, 2021 - 7:00 PM - Save this Date and Time
Click here for Event links and Sponsorship Opportunities!
This year we have two outstanding keynote speakers that you will not want to miss. We will share the information about one speaker this week and the other one next week.
Eagle Scout David Forinash (picture above)
Senior Manager of Propulsion Components at SpaceX
“Be Prepared for Mars”
You will find David a very engaging speaker as he describes how the leadership skills he developed in Scouting prepared him to play a key role in returning America to manned space flight. If you have an interest in space, technology, leadership, and adventure, tune in to hear David talk about the next frontier for manned space exploration – Mars! For more about David, David Forinash Bio.
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Eagle Scout with Down Syndrome Enjoys Every Minute of Journey
It’s been 11 years since Tim Burns first spotted the Eagle Scout badge in his Scout Handbook. He knew he wanted it though, like most new Scouts, he didn’t fully understand all the hard work it would take to get there.
He does now. Last month, Tim earned the Eagle Scout Award as part of Troop 263, a Troop for Scouts with special needs... Read More
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Dear Scouts and Scouters
It is with great thanks that YOU were so generous at our Scouting For Food Covid Style 4th Edition. We were able to collect just over 4,000 pounds of food along with over $1,700 in market gift cards, cash, & toiletries.
Our Council continues to be inspired by so many doing their daily good turn. Thank you to our amazing hosts for opening their hearts and homes to help our community!
-Cissie Andrews
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BSA Safety Moment - Campfire Safety
Who doesn’t love a glowing campfire at the end of the day? However, to make sure it won’t be your tent that burns, let’s look at some good fire safety practices. Handbooks for each program have helpful tips for campfires. Click here for more information.
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The New San Gabriel Valley Scout Shop is Now Open!
Our new store has a great selection of Scouting and camping gear to prepare you for your next outdoor adventure. In addition to purchasing Scout supplies, leaders can conduct other council business at the new store, including paying camp fees, registering new members, and dropping off and picking up Scouting information.
Click here to visit our Scout Shop webpage to learn more!
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California Expands COVID Vaccinations Making Them Available For All Adults by April 15, 2021.
In the last several weeks, the vaccine supply has become more readily available locally and statewide. The State of California continues to provide updated guidance through its COVID Vaccine website for all residents of California. As supply has increased, more and more California residents have become eligible for a COVID vaccination. Recently, we issued authorization for our in-person cohort leaders to receive a vaccination and our program has been very successful in allowing our in-person cohort leaders to provide in-person programming with COVID vaccination protection. Council Authorization letters will continue to be issued until April 15 by completing the request form.
On April 1, 2021, California will be permitting all residents ages 50+ to receive a COVID vaccination. On April 15, 2021, California will be making the vaccines available for all residents ages 16+.
Vaccinations can be secured by appointment through different platforms and we recommend that you regularly try all of them as they are updated daily:
- City of Los Angeles via Carbon Health
- Los Angeles County
- State of California via MyTurn.ca.gov
- Los Angeles County also has a telephone appointment help system for those without computers: (833) 540-0473 (8 am to 8:30 pm).
- Your Health Insurance Plan: If you have private health insurance, you can receive your vaccination through your health insurance plan as well.
We believe that the COVID vaccines will help with protecting our families as we begin in-person activities. While receiving the vaccine is a personal choice, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), State of California and County of Los Angeles all encourage vaccination to prevent severe COVID illness. If you have questions about the COVID vaccination, the following links provide up-to-date information:
- State of California FAQ
- Centers for Disease Control
- National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine
- Los Angeles County Public Health
- Kaiser Permanente
- Mayo Clinic
- John Hopkins Medical
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National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) - August 8-14, 2021
NYLT is an exciting, action-packed program designed to provide youth with skills and experiences they can use in their home troops and in other situations demanding leadership.
The six-day NYLT course centers around the concepts of what a leader must BE, what they must KNOW, and what they must DO. The key elements are then taught with a clear focus on HOW TO.
This course integrates the best of modern leadership theory with the traditional strengths of the Scouting experience. Through activities, presentations, challenges, discussions, and audio-visual support, NYLT participants will be engaged in a unified approach to leadership that will give them the skill and confidence to lead well. Through a wide range of activities, games, and adventures, participants will work and play together as they put into action the best Scouting has to offer. In order to attend a NYLT course, a youth must have the following qualifications by the beginning of the course:
- Must be a registered member of a Scouting unit.
- Must have a current BSA Health and Medical Record form parts A, B, and C.
- As of March 1, 2021, participants must be at least 13.
- Must have completed ILST or ILSC.
- Must have a unit leader recommendation.
This course will be held in the Pollock Training Center with a hike to an “outpost” for a more rigorous overnight experience. If COVID-19 protocols require, we may hold this as a day camp program at Camp Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. Click here for more information and registration.
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Camp Big Horn Week 7 is Now Open
The Greater Los Angeles Area Council is ready to host Scouts this summer at Camp Big Horn. We are scheduled to open Camp Big Horn on June 13 for six adventures weeks of summer camp. This summer our priority is Scout safety, to do this we are only opening Camp Big Horn at half capacity to ensure social distancing and we will be implementing smaller merit badge classes. This will give our troops the opportunity to start bonding with the new Scouts, older Scouts and leaders who have not had the chance to attend summer camp since 2019. I want to thank all the Troops from all over California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico for signing up and helping us reach another near sell out year at Camp Big Horn.
I know that there are a lot of troops out in the Greater Los Angeles Area Council that have not yet chosen or registered for summer camp this year, so what we are doing at Camp Big Horn is opening a special Week 7 for the troops in our council! This is your chance to get aboard the Camp Big Horn Summertime Express! It does not matter which camp you take your Scouts to this year as long as you and your Scouts go to camp. Scouting’s Outdoor Program is more important than ever this summer! Come on out and join us at Camp Big Horn!
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Summer Camp Awaits!
We have been notified by reliable sources within the State of California and LA County Dept.’s of Public Health that overnight camping guidance will be released before the end of March 2021. Within this guidance we will anticipate updates on COVID-19 protocols, food service, sleeping arrangements, camp capacities and many others. If positive COVID-19 cases in LA and San Bernardino County continue to decrease, then we could open for overnight camping as early as June 1, 2021.
If your unit has been hesitant to register for a week of summer camp at Camp Big Horn (near Lake Arrowhead) or Camp Cherry Valley (Santa Catalina Island) there is still space remaining in a few select weeks for this summer.
To explore the remaining possibilities, click the links below:
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Submit Your Articles For Our Weekly Scouter Update
Please submit your articles for the Scouter Weekly Update in MS-Word format on Monday of each week, with the images separately in a JPG format. Please email your articles to rossarnold1213@gmail.com. We welcome your input and encourage you to share your ideas with kevin.burton@scouting.org.
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