Welcome!
In 1907, a famed English military leader by the name of Lord Baden-Powell invited a group of boys to Brownsea Island in England. There, he divided the boys into patrols and over the course of the next few days taught them many outdoor skills. From this humble and modest beginning was borne the movement we now collectively call Boy Scouts. Three years later, on February 8, 1910, William D. Boyce brought this movement to the United States and founded the Boy Scouts of America. Since then the Boy Scouts has grown into a brotherhood stretching across the globe. Although the uniforms and rank requirements have changed throughout the years one thing remains constant; our basic purpose. In the words of Lord Baden-Powell, we seek to prepare our boys for "any old thing." We do just that; prepare our Scouts to be capable, caring, and responsible stewards of the future. Next in this handbook you'll come across a section titled the "Purpose of The Boy Scouts of America." These are our guiding principles and the principle of the Scouting movement. They embody the heart and soul of Lord Baden-Powell's purpose.
This Handbook is designed to acquaint you with some of the basic procedures and policies of our Troop. Please take the time to read this book and discuss its tenets with your young man. Bridging to Boy Scouts is an exciting but sometimes traumatic event. Boy Scouts are dramatically different from their younger cousins, the Cub Scouts, and you'll find your son exercising a great deal of new independence. But with that new found freedom comes new responsibility. We will challenge your young man and ask a great deal of him in the months and years ahead, and he'll be expected to stand up and do his fair share. But we also promise you we'll have a great deal of fun along the way.
Finally, we urge you to become actively involved in our Troop, and to stay interested in your son's progress. Helping him develop and grow, and reveling in his achievements, will be one of the keys to his success. Also, the Troop can always use dedicated adults who are willing to help our Troop. If you can provide transportation for the Scouts, have any special skills, or access to any equipment that you think may increase the value of our program to the youth, please see an adult leader. If you wish to serve our Troop by becoming an adult leader or Committee Member we will be delighted to have you on our team.
Again, we welcome you and your son to our Scouting family. This will be one of the most remarkable periods in his life and we are thrilled to be a part of it as well as honored for the trust you place in me. Together we cannot help but succeed!