Scoutreach Programs Have Most Successful Year Ever in 2005

Congratulations to the Scoutreach Foundation members and the Chief Seattle Council staff and volunteers as we have experienced our best year ever. F™tbol y Los Scouts or Soccer and Scouting served 450 youth. ScoutHoops held its first clinic for 200 youth. The Summer Lunch programs expanded to serve more youth at more sites in at-risk communities. After-school programs continued strong with dedicated program leaders. The Children of Incarcerated Parents program received a huge boost of support after being featured on King 5 News. Additionally, Urban Day Camp and subsidized housing packs and troops continue to attract youth.

ScoutHoops

ScoutHoops is a new concept that will link the values-base and character development of Scouting with the fun, sportsmanship and physical fitness objectives of basketball. The Seattle SuperSonics are partnering with the Scouts in these efforts, which was kicked off with a Holiday Hoops basketball clinic on December 21 for 200 youth. Sonics assistant coach, Ralph Lewis, former Sonic legend, James Donaldson, and Sonics Mascot, Squatch, helped teach basketball skills and provided inspirational messages.

The Scoutreach Foundation's African American Outreach Committee recently endorsed the Scouthoops program and discussed the future expansion of the program which will include quarterly basketball clinics in 2006 to include successful African American community leaders to serve as mentors for Scouts. Plans include expanding to a Scouthoops basketball league in 2007.

Welcome New Scoutreach Foundation Board Member Lenny Wilkens

Two times NBA Hall of Famer, Lenny Wilkens, has joined the Scoutreach Foundation board and will serve on the African American Community Outreach Committee. Lenny is excited to join us in our efforts to really make a difference with inner-city youth. He will be the keynote speaker at the Scoutreach Foundation Breakfast on Thursday, May 11, 2006 at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.

F™tbol y Los Scouts (Soccer and Scouting) - Jumpstart March 4

After a very successful first year of program serving 450 youth, Soccer and Scouting is making plans to expand the program to the communities of Auburn, SeaTac and Kent in 2006. On March 4, the Soccer and Scouting program will host a Jumpstart, which is a joining and information meeting that combines fun Soccer and Scouting activities to create teams for the season.

On March 17-19 Soccer and Scouting members will attend Winter Camp at Camp Shepard. Also available, is our newsletter in Spanish, to improve communication with parents and volunteers. This season will kick off with a training session for volunteers and parents on March 2.

2006 Summer Lunch Program Planning

The Summer Lunch program will begin its third year. Plans are underway for a great Scouting program to serve at-risk youth at federally funded free summer lunch sites through program leaders and volunteers. Program leaders Lorena Long and Andrea Kephart are busy planning the curriculum, purchasing supplies, and preparing training.

Asian Outreach Committee

The Asian Outreach Committee of the Scoutreach foundation, chaired by Scott Oki, held its first meeting in February. The first priorities are to: organize the committee, identify some Committee Chairs to serve specific Asian ethnic groups, identify action priorities for moving forward, identify and recruit new Scoutreach Foundation Board Directors for the various Asian ethnic groups, and identify and recruit Scoutreach Breakfast table hosts for the May 11, 2006 breakfast at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.

New Scoutreach Video Highlights Scoutreach

The latest in the series of "Words to Live By" videos features the positive outcomes of the Scoutreach programs. This video includes inspirational interviews with participants, volunteers, and community leaders including former Governors Dan Evans and Gary Locke, community leaders Phil Smart and Warren Buck, and Mariners legend Edgar Martinez. Thank you to Garrigan Lyman for their quality work on the"Words to Live B" campaign and for generously supporting Scouting.

Bank of America Grant Supports Programs at Brighton and Emerson

The Brighton Elementary School Cub Scout Pack is currently serving 85 youth. The 2005 holiday season included activities surrounding Kwanzaa, Christmas, and Chanukah. The boys were involved in making Kwanzaa place mats, learning about the seven days of Kwanzaa, reading about the traditions of Christmas, hearing the story of Chanukah, and making matzah ball soup. 

At the beginning of the year, they began discussing Martin Luther King Jr., his life and the history of the Civil Rights movement. Brighton Elementary school put on an assembly to celebrate Dr. King's birthday and many Scouts participated. 

The discussion of civil rights moved into the talking about citizenship this month. The boys are exploring what it means to be a good citizen. A group of boys are creating a trivia game that deals with facts about the United States for a Scout tournament.

Next the focus will switch to rockets. The boys are very interested in rockets and how they work. They will also be building cars for their Pinewood Derby race!

Emerson Elementary School Cub Scout Pack has more than 100 youth participating in Scouts and has a similar program to Brighton. Their activities include celebrating the holiday season and honoring Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. They are also planning to study rockets and build cars that the youth can take home and work on themselves.