Civic and fraternal organizations to be honored
The Century of Values Touring Team will be visiting the Southwest Florida Boy Scout Council on March 20th as part of a 100th anniversary celebration in honor of the area’s civic and fraternal organizations such as American Legion, Kiwanis, Lions, Optimists, Rotarys, VFWs and other civic and fraternal organizations. A short ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the Boy Scout Council Conference Center located at 1801 Boy Scout Drive in Fort Myers. Everyone is welcome!
In the spirit of Scouting fellowship the Detroit Area Council’s “A Century of Values” committee commissioned a 24-by-36-inch painting depicting the history of the BSA over its first 100 years. The framed and autographed painting is by artist Bill Morrison, an Eagle Scout who has worked for Walt Disney and Twentieth Century Fox’s licensing and merchandising department, will be presented to the Southwest Florida Council. Morrison worked on this unofficial centennial artwork for over three years. Patches and copies of the mural will be available for sale.
Relationships with other youth serving agencies-churches, schools, and civic and fraternal organizations- are central to Scouting’s success. Those relationships were made official by the BSA’s 1916 congressional charter, but they’re made real each day by dedicated Scouting volunteers and professional Scouters. “We want to recognize the tremendous contribution these civic clubs have made to Scouting over the past 100 years. Locally, we have involvement with all of these civic and fraternal organizations. Rotary was the first charter partner of the BSA in 1918, but others are instrumental in supporting Scout troops including the American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Elks, Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Jaycees, Kiwanis, Lions, Marine Corps., Moose, Optimist and Veterans of Foreign Wars,” Gary Hampton, Scout Executive of the Southwest Boy Scout Council, said.
The Boy Scouts of America is an organization committed to making a difference in the lives of young people. Civic organizations seek to work together to answer the needs that challenge communities through service to country, to others, and to self and teaching leadership and character building skills. These are all incorporated into the programs and activities of each civic organization. These civic organizations are the corner stone of the Scouting program, acting as charter partners and providing funding. The principles and goals of these organizations are closely allied with Scouting.
The Century of Values Tour Teams are on a nationwide road trip to visit every council in America and present a numbered copy of this painting. The final stop on their nationwide tour will be the BSA national office, where the original painting will be donated to the art collection at the National Scouting Museum.