February 4th - THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA CELEBRATES YOUTH DEVELOPMENT DURING SCOUT WEEK 2008
Scouts mark annual celebration with national Eagle
Scout search
IRVING,
TEXAS (February 4, 2008) – On Friday, Feb. 8, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)
will celebrate its 98th year of building the character and integrity of
America’s youth and preparing young Americans to become exceptional adults with
Scout Week 2008
This annual celebration, Sunday, Feb
3–Saturday, Feb. 9, is a weeklong commemoration of the birth of Scouting in the
United States and an opportunity for parents, volunteers, and Scouts to
celebrate Scouting’s rich legacy of service and youth development. During this
week, local Boy Scout councils across the country will participate in a variety
of celebrations, relief projects, banquets, religious services, and volunteerism
efforts to benefit their communities. In many councils, Scout Week kicks off
with Scout Sunday, and ends with Scout Sabbath, where Scouts attend religious
services wearing their uniforms. Scout councils also use Scout Week as a time
for education and understanding of different faiths and cultures.
“Scouting is more than what we do – it’s
who we are – and what we will be,” said Bob Mazzuca, chief scout executive, The
Boy Scouts of America. “Scout Week is a
wonderful way to celebrate our adventure and continue our journey by focusing
on our oath, which teaches a dedication to duty, God, country, others and self;
and our law, which describes how to live lives of honor by being trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty brave
clean and reverent.”
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Additionally during Scout Week, the National
Eagle Scout Association (NESA) is conducting the first-ever nationwide search
to locate all Eagle Scouts. Since the first Eagle Scout Award was awarded in
1912, there have been approximately 1.9 million Eagle Scouts. The BSA is now
working with Harris Connect to find an estimated 1 million living Eagle Scouts.
Beginning last fall, and continuing through
the summer of 2008, the Scouts have been contacting all Eagle Scouts and inviting
them to be included in a national directory, with the purpose of identifying
and reengaging all of those who have achieved the highest rank in Scouting. All
participating Eagle Scouts will be included in an Eagle Scout directory—a
tremendous resource of Scouting’s finest talent.
“Our nation needs—and will always
need—thoughtful and responsible leaders to guide our communities and help
people who are grappling with a variety of human needs, including hunger,
poverty, and poor health,” said Mazzuca. “As we celebrate our 98th year of
Scouting, it’s important that we turn to our Eagle Scouts of all ages, and
reengage them in Scouting. Together, we can foster in our nation a greater
interest in helping others and improving the world in which we live.”
For more information on local council
activities during Scout Week 2008, please visit www.scouting.org and click on the “local councils” link in
the main introduction. For more information on the National Eagle Scout
Association search, please visit www.nesa.org.
About
the Boy Scouts of America
The
Scouting movement is composed of 1.2 million volunteers, whose dedication of
time and resources has enabled the BSA to remain the nation’s leading youth-service
organization. Serving more than 4.6 million young people between 7 and 20 years
of age, with more than 300 councils throughout the United States and its
territories, the BSA is the nation’s foremost youth program of character
development and values-based leadership training. For more information on the
BSA, please visit www.scouting.org.