Dear Scouting Family,

We wanted to reach out to provide some information on a few things that have recently been in the news about the Boy Scouts of America and explain what it all means for Scouting in the Mayflower Council.  As you may have heard, the national organization is exploring a potential Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.  The national organization is a separate and distinct organization from Mayflower Council and so, Mayflower Council would not be included in the bankruptcy.  Nevertheless, the national organization has asked local councils to consider assisting in related negotiations and planning.

A filing by the national organization of Chapter 11 bankruptcy would have  two key objectives: to equitably compensate victims who were harmed as a result of their time in Scouting and to continue to carry out Scouting’s mission for years to come.

It is important for you to know that nothing is changing at this time, and no decisions have been made regarding a potential filing.  We remain as committed as ever to delivering the Scouting program in our area, and to supporting the dedicated volunteers and Scouting families in our communities.

Your regular unit meetings and activities, district and council events, and all other Scouting adventures will continue as usual. Please be assured that all options under consideration by the national organization, including a potential Chapter 11 filing, will ensure that Scouting continues at all levels. Also be assured that there is no scenario under consideration in which Mayflower Council would file for a Chapter 11 financial restructuring.

Our Council President and Scout Executive have been briefed on national’s situation and have designated an attorney who will work with the newly created National Ad Hoc Committee to represent Mayflower Council in those discussions.

Our participation in the Ad Hoc Committee does not obligate us to contribute funds to this effort.  As stated above, our Council remains an independent nonprofit organization separate from the national organization.

Please be assured that your Friends of Scouting (FOS) and other annual donations to the Council will continue to be used to pay for necessary day-to-day expenses that are critical to our ability to provide quality Scouting programs in our communities. Additionally, any restricted donation you have made or plan to make to our council can and will be used only for its designated purpose.

You may also be wondering why the national organization is considering these financial options now. The national organization is facing mounting financial strain from a significant increase in litigation related to past instances of abuse. One instance of abuse is one too many, and we are heartbroken that any child was ever harmed during their time in Scouting. It is important to note that the vast majority of these cases date back decades, some as far back as the 1940s, but they are surfacing now due to recent changes in numerous states’ statute of limitations laws.

As members of the Scouting family, you know that the safety of children in our programs is our absolute top priority. Over many years, we have developed some of the strongest expert-informed youth protection policies found in any youth-serving organization. From mandatory youth protection training to policies like two-deep leadership, no one-on-one interaction between youth and adults, and mandatory reporting of any suspected abuse, our volunteers and employees take youth protection policies and procedures extremely seriously and do their part to help keep kids safe.

In addition to our council staff, the 24/7 Scouts First Helpline (1-844-SCOUTS1) and email address (scouts1st@scouting.org) are also available to assist in reporting suspected abuse or inappropriate behavior. You can view all our safeguards and watch the youth protection training course that is mandatoryfor all volunteers and employees at www.scouting.org/youth-safety.  In fact, this is a resource that you can share with friends and family who are interested in understanding what the BSA is doing to keep kids safe.

We know you may have additional questions about these issues and stories you see in the news.  We created an FAQ to address as many of those questions as possible. If your question has not been answered in this letter or in the attached document, please feel free to reach out to us by clicking here. We will do everything we can to provide helpful, transparent responses and ensure your Scouting experience continues to be a great one.

Thank you for your ongoing support and participation in our Scouting programs.

Yours in Scouting,

Mike Rotar
Council President

Bryan Feather
Scout Executive / CEO

In Scouting, we say “it’s about the youth” and none of our adults are involved for the recognition, but every now and then we need to say thanks especially to those volunteers whose leadership and example has left a lasting positive impact on the program and the broader community. One was we do that is through nominating a Scouter for the Silver Beaver Award, the highest adult recognition a council can bestow.

Join us on Wednesday, January 29th at Lake Pearl, Wrentham to recognize these outstanding volunteers for their service to Scouting and their communities.

Gary Bernklow
Ronald Ehnes
Peter Lane
Mandy Lyons
Debra Scollins

Frequently asked questions about the Silver Beaver Award:

Overview
To recognize registered Scouters of exceptional character who have provided distinguished service within a council.  The award is presented by the National Court of Honor on behalf of councils.

Who Can Earn This Award?
Anyone may nominate any deserving registered Scouter to the council, which selects recipients for the following year. Each council may process their own annual allotment of Silver Beaver awards and shall send a list of Silver Beaver awards presented each calendar year to the National Court of Honor no later than January 31 of the following year.

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In Scouting, we say “it’s about the youth” and none of our adults are involved for the recognition, but every now and then we need to say thanks especially to those volunteers whose leadership and example has left a lasting positive impact on the program and the broader community. One was we do that is through nominating a Scouter for the Silver Beaver Award, the highest adult recognition a council can bestow.

Silver Beaver Honorees Selected

Please join the Mayflower Council in congratulating this years Silver Beaver Honorees.

Presentation of the Silver Beaver will be made at the Council Annual Recognition Dinner on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at Lake Pearl in Wrentham, MA. We hope you can join us to recognize these outstanding volunteers as they are recognized for their outstanding service to scouting and their communities.

Gary Bernklow
Ronald Ehnes
Peter Lane
Mandy Lyons
Debra Scollins

Frequently asked questions about the Silver Beaver Award:

Overview

To recognize registered Scouters of exceptional character who have provided distinguished service within a council.  The award is presented by the National Court of Honor on behalf of councils.

Who Can Earn This Award?

Anyone may nominate any deserving registered Scouter to the council, which selects recipients for the following year. Each council may process their own annual allotment of Silver Beaver awards and shall send a list of Silver Beaver awards presented each calendar year to the National Court of Honor no later than January 31 of the following year.

Below are the event flyers, training newsletter and other information from the December Roundtable.

2019 Museum of Science Overnight

2019-2020 District Award of Merit Form

2019-2020 District-Awards Form

Mayflower Training News December 2019

Scouts BSA Klondike – Hosted by the Sachem District

Webelos Klondike Flyer – Hosted by the Sachem District

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Scouts in the UK have developed a program that celebrates the Pilgrims leaving England and landing here in present day Massachusetts.

The year 2020 is the 400th anniversary of that event. Scouts in the UK have contacted units in Plymouth, MA to partner with over the next year.  There are currently 20 units that have signed up indicating that they would like to take part in the program.

This program is a number of activities based on many of the things that the Pilgrims did once they arrived in present day Plymouth. There are skills that are divided from easy to more difficult and available for Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA or Venture Crews.

Troop 51 has spearheaded this program and is in touch with Scouts in the UK. Please see the flyer below for contact information.

Please note this information cannot be distributed with the original message or in any message with the disclosure forms due to laws specific to the transmission of these documents.

1. Is the BSA doing credit checks on volunteers?
   • No. The BSA will only use these signed authorization forms for approval to obtain a criminal background check. State and federal laws regulating background checks and consumer credit checks require that both items be mentioned on the form since a full background check includes both parts. Again, the BSA is only using this form for authorization to obtain a criminal background check.
     
2. Why is this being done now?
   1. Starting in 2020, rechecks will be performed every five years, but it will take several years to recheck all leaders. Unfortunately, technical limitations and changes in the law over the last five years prevent us from using existing authorizations from older applications. As such, new disclosure had to be sent and new signed authorization forms obtained. Rechartering provides the best window to collect and verify they have been received before the council processes the recharter application.
3. What about volunteers that are not registered with units?
   • All currently registered adults and employees who have not had a criminal background check in the last five years will be rechecked. Mayflower Council will individually track district and council registered employees and leaders, including merit badge counselors.
4. What about those who did not get the forms by e-mail?
   • Ample copies of the background check disclosure and agreement will be provided November Roundtable meetings and are available on our website at www.mayflowerbsa.org/recharter.
   • Your unit leader, or the leader responsible for completing your unit’s annual charter renewal, will ensure that each registered adult volunteer leader receives both the disclosure form as well as the authorization form. The council will collect all of your unit’s authorization forms (we will not need to collect the separate disclosure page) at the time that your unit submits their annual charter renewal packet. District and council volunteers, including merit badge counselors, should submit the authorization to your district executive, mail it to the Marlborough Service Center, 2 Mount Royal Avenue – Suite 100, Marlborough, MA  01752 or you may email it to membership@mayflowerbsa.org.
5. What about those with multiple registrations?
   • Only one authorization form per person needs to be collected and retained by the council. An authorization should be submitted with their primary BSA registration.
6. What happens if a unit leader does not provide an authorization?
   • Leaders who do not provide new authorization will not be able to renew their registration.
7. Why can’t the volunteer just reply to the original e-mail and attach their signed authorization form?
   • The best way for us to ensure compliance is to require that the council registrar verify that a signed authorization form is physically in hand before processing a unit’s recharter. This removes much of the potential error and associated penalties that could result from other methods. This will facilitate the process of ensuring that a current form is on file at the council service center before posting their registration.
8. Are there different forms for different states?
   • Federal and state laws prescribe what must be in the disclosures and how they are to be provided. A form compliant with federal and various state laws was sent to all volunteer leaders except those in California. Leaders with a California home address or whose council territory includes California received California-specific forms due to the specific requirements of California law.
9. Can the council accept a faxed copy or scanned copy sent via email of the signed authorization?
   • Yes, so long as it is legible and is sent by the individual who signed it.
   • Your unit leader, or the leader responsible for completing your unit’s annual charter renewal, will ensure that each registered adult volunteer leader receives both the disclosure form as well as the authorization form. The council will collect all of your unit’s authorization forms (we will not need to collect the separate disclosure page) at the time that your unit submits their annual charter renewal packet. District and council volunteers, including merit badge counselors, should submit the authorization to your district executive, mail it to the Marlborough Service Center, 2 Mount Royal Avenue – Suite 100, Marlborough, MA  01752 or you may email it to membership@mayflowerbsa.org.
10. Can the council accept an electronic signature?
    • Digital signatures from third-party providers are acceptable. E-mail confirmations, permissions or typed names on the form are not acceptable substitutes for wet signatures.
    • Your unit leader, or the leader responsible for completing your unit’s annual charter renewal, will ensure that each registered adult volunteer leader receives both the disclosure form as well as the authorization form. The council will collect all of your unit’s authorization forms (we will not need to collect the separate disclosure page) at the time that your unit submits their annual charter renewal packet. District and council volunteers, including merit badge counselors, should submit the authorization to your district executive, mail it to the Marlborough Service Center, 2 Mount Royal Avenue – Suite 100, Marlborough, MA  01752 or you may email it to membership@mayflowerbsa.org.
11. What about unit renewals that have already been processed or will not recharter until after January 1?
    • For unit renewals that have already been posted because the unit renewal date was prior to the email notification or the unit renewal date is after January 1, authorization forms still need to be collected as soon as possible. All new authorization forms should be received by December 31, 2019.
12. The authorization form states the BSA can share my background with other entities. Which entities are those?
    • Background checks are conducted by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America and shared with local councils for the purpose of conducting Scouting business. Local councils are separate organizations from the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
13. Can the council require the forms be collected at the unit level and not sent to the council service center?
    • Yes. The council can require the forms be collected at the unit level or by a designated unit representative.
    • We want to clarify what is needed from you, and how this will be handled in our Mayflower Council:
      • Every registered leader needs to review, sign, and turn in the “Additional Disclosures & Background Check Authorization” form in order to renew their membership for next year.
      • If your primary registration is with a unit, please give the form with your original signature to your unit leader, or the leader responsible for completing your unit’s annual charter renewal, who will submit it with the recharter paperwork.
      • If your primary registration is NOT with a unit, please give the form with your original signature to your district executive, mail it to the Marlborough Service Center, 2 Mount Royal Avenue – Suite 100, Marlborough, MA  01752 or you may email it to membership@mayflowerbsa.org.

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