Hello, Lake Erie Council Family. My name is Kevin Wassie, and this is your LEC 3-minute update for the 2nd week of April. Today I will be sharing information about Spring Membership and also sharing details about a special Youth Leadership Award through the office of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who you may remember from his guest appearance during last year’s Pancake Power Hour.
I always try to keep these videos fairly light and entertaining, but today I want to have kind of a serious discussion on Spring Membership. The past 12 months have been difficult for all of us. As a council, we are very proud of our ability to adapt and overcome. Last year, we were able to offer Scouts BSA Resident summer camp, thousands of merit badges were completed through our online courses, and many of our Packs, Troops, Crews, Ships, and Posts were able to adjust to a changing world and continue to provide amazing programs for young people across Northeast Ohio. It’s important to celebrate those wins, but we also need to recognize that many of our local units struggled to maintain their programs and some were not able to recharter this year.
If you are watching this video, I assume the Scouting program has made a positive impact on your life and the lives of those around you. With that being said, the program that has given so much to you needs your help now more than ever. The future of the Scouting movement depends on every Scouting unit engaging new families and retaining their current Scouts. Here is how we are going to measure our success. Over the next two months, I am asking every Scouting unit in the Lake Erie Council to register three new Scouts. I’m not talking about an Arrow of Light transferring to a Scouts BSA Troop, although that is incredibly important. I’m talking about welcoming new families into our programs and reengaging the families whose Scouting units were unable to renew their charters in 2021. The foundation for this process is already in place: It’s called Unplug and Reconnect. Lake Erie Council volunteers and staff have given you a blueprint that you can follow to engage and welcome these new families, but it can only succeed if local unit leaders commit to this process. We might not agree on everything in the Scouting world, but I hope we can all rally around the idea that more kids in Scouting is a good thing for everyone. So, please plan a hike and help families reconnect with nature. Give back to your communities through Scouts Trash the Trash Day and plan a fun activity to engage new families. If you need help, just ask. If you need resources, head to LECBSA.org and check out our new Membership Resources Page under the Resources tab. Together, we can grow the Scouting movement.
I don’t really have a great transition here, so I’m just going to have Producer Anthony throw up an adorable picture of me from my Cub Scout Days.
We good? Perfect. If nothing else, my mother will appreciate that. Moving right along, Ohio’s Secretary of State and friend of Scouting Frank LaRose is currently seeking nominations for the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award. This newly established Award was created in February 2021, as a way for members of the National Association of Secretaries of State to recognize a gifted, civic-minded young person in their state. The recipient should demonstrate leadership abilities, have a passion for social justice, and be motivated to improve the quality of life in their community. If you would like to nominate a young leader, please visit NASS.org/node/2208. If that is a confusing and complicated link, ,you can always visit LECBSA.org to access the 3 minute update script and links. If you receive the update by e-mail, the scripts can also be accessed by hitting the Script button in your e-mail.
That’s all for this week. Thank you for Keeping the Scouting flame burning bright.
