Boy Scouts of America Delegation Delivers Annual Report to the Nation to Top Washington Officials, Details 2011 Accomplishments

IRVING, Texas, Feb. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A delegation of nine young people from across the country will represent the Boy Scouts of America® in Washington, D.C., February 11–15, 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 2011, the first year in Scouting's second century. The BSA's new national theme, Prepared. For Life.™, has defined the organization's path forward under four pillars: learning, service, leadership, and adventure.

"Innovation is a cornerstone of Scouting. While the fundamental nature of what we teach—things like character, leadership, and service—will never change, we continually update our programs to meet the needs of today's kids," said Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca. "As we move into Scouting's second century, we are focused on critical issues to today's youth with new healthy-living initiatives and a greater emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and math [STEM] in Scouting programs. We're proud to be able to share our progress with our nation's leaders."

Collectively, Scouts across America give more than 25 million hours of volunteer time annually, at a value of more than a half-billion dollars (based on a national volunteer-hour value of $21.36). In 2011, 51,473 young men earned the Eagle Scout Award through the completion of 21 life skills merit badges and an extensive self-directed service project. The average number of hours spent on Eagle Scout projects is 130, which means that in 2011, Eagle Scout service projects alone represented almost 6.7 million hours of community service.

Scouts across the country also learned the value of physical health and well-being with the introduction of SCOUTStrong™, a formal BSA initiative that seeks to ensure Scouts and all young people are healthy in mind, body, and spirit. And more than 1 million Scouts attended BSA camps in 2011—with Scouts camping out more than 5 million nights throughout the year—continuing the organization's longtime focus on adventure in the great outdoors.

In 2011, the BSA also continued its ongoing affiliation with ExxonMobil, NASA, and other organizations to cultivate initiatives that encourage interest in STEM-related educational and career opportunities.

Report to the Nation Delegation

Being selected to the Report to the Nation delegation is a tremendous honor for the nine Scouts and the communities they represent.  Each Scout represents the more than 100 million Scouts who have been part of the BSA since its inception in 1910 and the millions who will follow. This year's delegation is made up of the following young people:

• Venturing president Dan Carriveau; Little Chute, Wisconsin
• Boy Scout Jordan Evans; Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Cub Scout Daniel Green; Silver Lake, Ohio
• National Sea Scout boatswain Eva Hogan; Houston, Texas
• Boy Scout Kauhikoa "Koa" Kalamau; Kapolei, Hawaii
• Boy Scout Nicholas Kulick; Catharpin, Virginia 
• Boy Scout R.J. McCullen III; El Paso, Texas
• Boy Scout Jack Pape; Omaha, Nebraska
• Order of the Arrow National Chief John Rehm; Turbotville, Pennsylvania

Meeting with Top Washington Officials

Arriving in the nation's capital on Saturday, Feb. 11, the delegation is scheduled for visits throughout the week with U.S. Cabinet members and House and Senate leadership, as well as tours of the White House, CIA, Pentagon, and Supreme Court. The delegation will deliver this year's report to Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, and for the first time, will participate in a service project benefitting the National Cathedral. Additional details include:

• Saturday, Feb. 11: Tour NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and have dinner with NASA's John Wolfgang.
• Sunday, Feb. 12: Participate in service project at the National Cathedral.
• Monday, Feb. 13: Share the Report to the Nation with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno; and Navy Vice Admiral William E. Gortney, director of the Joint Staff.
• Tuesday, Feb. 14: Lunch with Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, visit to the Supreme Court, tour CIA headquarters with Director Gen. David Petraeus. 
• Wednesday, Feb. 15: Deliver official Report to the Nation to Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Rep. Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Rep. Mitch McConnell; and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Eagle Scout rank with a gathering of legislators on Capitol Hill.

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 prepares young people for life by providing the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training. The Scouting organization is composed of 2.7 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.

SOURCE Boy Scouts of America