Local Scout is One of Eight Selected to Share 2012 Scouting Achievements with Congress
A delegation of eight young people from across the country— including Matthew Miller of Sam Houston Area Council in Houston—will represent the Boy Scouts of America® in Washington, D.C., Feb. 23–28, to present the organization’s annual Report to the Nation to top U.S. officials. The report is designated in the BSA’s congressional charter and will highlight the organization’s achievements in 2012.
Being selected to the Report to the Nation delegation is a tremendous honor for Matthew and the community that he represents. Each Scout represents the more than 100 million Boy Scouts who have come before them and the millions who will follow. Miller was selected as a delegate for his great demonstration of leadership as the National Sea Scout Boatswain.
“As part of the Venturing program for teens, the co-ed Sea Scout program, with an emphasis on nautical skills, offers youth ages 14-20 an opportunity to build strong character, develop citizenship and practice personal fitness,” stated Tom Varnell, President/Scout Executive for the Sam Houston Area Council. “Matthew, who is also an Eagle Scout, is a testament to what Scouting can deliver for men and women.”
Arriving in the nation’s capital on Saturday, Feb. 23, Matthew and the other Boy Scouts of America delegates are scheduled for visits throughout the week with U.S. Cabinet, House, and Senate leadership, as well as the White House, CIA, Pentagon, and Supreme Court. The delegation will deliver this year’s report to Speaker of the House John Boehner.
Locally, the Sam Houston Area Council has contributed to the national report that will be shared through the delivery of a quality Scouting experience in Houston, serving 51,211 local youth members in 2012. The Sam Houston Area Council had another successful year, achieving Gold Level status in the organization’s National Journey to Excellence Program. In 2012, nearly 30,400 Advancements were earned by local youth, and 1,155 Scouts earned the coveted Eagle Scout Award – a 22 percent increase from last year. Sam Houston Area Council Scouts provide hundreds of thousands of community service hours and the council’s camp attendance grew at the Council’s five summer resident camps, with nearly three-quarters of all Scouts attending.
During 2012, Scouts across America gave more than 13 million hours of service to their communities at a value of more than $293 million (based on a national volunteer-hour value of $21.79). In 2012, 57,976 young men earned the Eagle Scout Award, marking a new record for the highest number of Eagle Scout Awards earned for any given year. In addition to the 21 life skills merit badges required to earn the Eagle Scout rank, each Scout must complete an extensive service project that he plans, organizes, leads, and manages before his 18th birthday. In 2012, Eagle Scout projects provided approximately $231 million in service to communities across the nation.
To keep track of the Report to the Nation delegates as they embark on this once-in-a-lifetime experience in Washington, D.C., follow @boyscouts on Twitter or Boy Scouts of America on Facebook.
About the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.™” The Scouting organization is composed of more than 2.6 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and more than a million volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org.
