Values to Last a Lifetime
SFBAC 1997 Annual Report



The Scouting movement was founded in England, in 1908, by Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Two years later, after a trip to England, Chicago businessman William D. Boyce brought Scouting to America. He had been tremendously impressed with the spirit of honor and service he had observed in the Scouts of England and felt that the same program should be available for the youth of the United States.

Since 1910, more than 100 million young people have enjoyed the Scouting program as Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Explorers and Learning for Life participants. They have learned values, practical skills and leadership and teamwork skills that have helped them become better citizens.

In 1997 alone, more than 4,000,000 young people were served by the Scouting program nationwide; a 4% increase over the previous year. Because Scouting continues to meet the needs of youth and their families, it continues to grow year after year.

As the nation's premier youth development organization, the Boy Scouts of America has not only taught generations of American youngsters about the environment, but also the importance of loyalty, reverence, thrift and bravery -- values expressed in the Scout Oath and Law.

Even as Scouting approaches its second century, it still represents the best ideals of humanity, not just here in the Bay Area, but also in communities all around the country.

MISSION STATEMENT

It is the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve others by helping to instill values in young people and in other ways prepare them to make ethical choices over their lifetime in achieving their full potential.


The San Francisco Bay Area Council serves 35,562 young people in San Francisco and Alameda Counties, with units in the cities of San Francisco, Daly City, Treasure Island, Emeryville, Oakland, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Hayward, Castro Valley, Fremont, Union City, Newark, Sunol, Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore.

More than 5,018 volunteer leaders deliver the Scouting Program to Bay Area youth in five geographic, community-centered districts, three Exploring service areas, and a Learning for Life Division.

The Council maintains two Service Centers which provide administrative assistance and support to all volunteers and youth involved in Scouting. In the West Bay, the Service Center is located at 124 Beale Street, San Francisco and in the East Bay at 8480 Enterprise Way, Oakland.

In order to provide quality outdoor experiences to our members and leaders, the Council operates three outstanding camp properties; Wente Scout Reservation near Willits, which is the site for Boy Scout Summer Camp, Family Camp, and year-around weekend camping; Camp Royaneh, near the Russian River, the site for Cub Scout Adventure camp, Boy Scout Summer Camp and year-around weekend camping; and Rancho Los Mochos, outside of Livermore, which offers conveniently close year-around weekend camping and a great place for weekend training courses.

HIGHLIGHTS OF 1997

Membership

35,562 youth served in 1997 (growth of 6.1% over 1996)
22.4% of potential youth(market share) were enrolled in Scouting
5,018 volunteer adult leaders
681 Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, Varsity teams, Explorer posts and ships, and Learning for life groups
359 Quality Units (56.3% of packs, troops, teams, posts and ships)
9 Quality Districts (100% of Districts earned Scouting's highest award)
8,233 inner-city youth participating in Urban Outreach Scouting
14,446 boys and girls in the Learning for Life program through their schools
4,819 young men and young women in Exploring


Camping


47,114 nights camped at the three Council camps
3,691 Boy Scouts and leaders attended Summer Camp (successful 97 season leads to additinal session planned for 98)
139 Boy Scout troops had a long-term camping experience
435 Cub and Webelos Scouts from 132 packs attended Day Camps
4,047 Camper nights at Family Camp during August and Memorial Day Weekend Camp
558 Tiger Cubs and adult partners attended Tiger Cub Safari (86% increase over 1996)


Program


55 tons of food collected in the "Scouting for Food" Good Turn which provides 20% of Food Banks' food supply
134 Boy Scouts earned the Eagle Scout Award
108 Boy Scouts attended the National Jamboree at Ft. A.P. Hill (3 full troops)
7,211 Merit Badges earned
1,946 Boy Scouts advanced in rank
3,712 Cub Scouts advanced in rank
512 Webelos Scouts earned the Arrow of Light Award
115 Boy Scouts attended Brownsea Junior Leader Training
568 youth and adults participated in Order of the Arrow Winter Camp Awareness Training
48 Adult leaders participated in Wood Badge to increase their leadership skills


Finance


7 years of balanced budgets
$1,039,784 raised during the "Invest in the Promise" Campaign
$615,000 raised through Special Events (13% increase over 1996)
$98,000 earned through Popcorn Sales (24% increase in sales and 30% increase in unit participation)


Recognitions


7 consecutive years as a National Quality Council
11 Silver Beaver Awards presented
54 James E West Fellowship Award recipients recognized
4 1910 Society Members recognized
120 Heritage Society Members honored


Scouting Meets the Needs of Families

Parents today are terribly concerned about the environment in which their children are growning up. A group of parents who took part in a recent focus group in San Francisco said,"there are significant challenges to. . . growing up" today and "these challenges are much more intense now than in the past."

They fear for the safety of their children because of drugs, gangs, violence and crime in the street. There is also concern over the constant messages in the media that glamorize negative behavior. These parents have an intense desire for a safe, structured, value-laden environment for their children.

Our Scouting program is here to help these youth and their families. Scouting reinforces positive family values, enrighes lives and produces strong leaders. The results of a recent independent study by Louis Harris & Associates indicate that Scouts with five years' tenure are more likely than non-Scouts to "value education and the environment; put the needs of others before themselves; make the most honest, not the easiest, decisions and assume a leadership role in clubs or school organizations."

Total Quality Scouting


Because the quality of our program determines the impact Scouting has in the lives of the young people we strive to serve, we are directing our resources toward providing youth with Total Quality Scouting. By incorporating the principles of Total Quality (customer focus, process improvement, fact-based decision making, people working in teams and striving for continuous improvement), we seek to become the premier program available for youth in the Bay Area.

Strategic Long Range Plan


Our commitment to quality drives us to plan now for Scouting's future. We need to know where we want to go in order to develop the steps we need to take to get there.

In 1998, the Strategic Long Range Planning Team set about its task to reshape the Council's operation to better serve a higher percentage of the eligible population. Each committee spent several months gathering data and meeting with volunteers, youth members and members of the community at large.

The resulting plan is designed to improve the qulity of life in our community through providing meaningful, contemporary Scouting programs, accessible to all, that will result in a better future for our customers, the youth and families of the Bay Area.


Not Without Our Volunteers


As we look back over 1997, there are many, many accomplishments of which we can truly be proud: growth in youth membership of over 6%, maintaining a balanced budget, a 6% increase in Quality Units, collecting 55 tons of food for the needy during Scouting for Food, providing excellent summer camps, and much more.

But none of these achievements could have occurred without the committed support of our 5,018 adult volunteers. These men and women from our community who put so much of their time, talent, effort and caring spirit into the Scouting program are indeed to be cherished. It is their willingness to serve that allows each of our Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Explorers and Learning for Life Participants to experience not only the fun of Scouting, but also the activities that help them develop desirable qualities of character, citizenship and fitness.

In these pages you will read more about selected accomplishments the council has achieved in pursuit of its mission. In addition, you will see prime examples of how Scouting is helping future leaders learn skills that will last a lifetime - and that will serve their communities for decades to come. You will see that after all of these years, the words of the founder of Scouting, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, still ring true. "We don't teach boys to make a living, we teach them how to live."


/s/George W. Rowe
Council President

/s/Stephen E. Barnes
Scout Executive



Strategic Vision Statement


The San Francisco Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, will meets the needs of the youth of our diverse community, by being the premier program available to all youth, without regard to race, creed or economic status, providing them the opportunity to develop character, citizenship, personal fitness, teamwork and leadership skills.


Scouting Opens a World of Opportunity for Youth


New experiences. . .New skills. . . New expectations. . .

In the San Francisco Bay Area Council, 35,562 young people participate in Scouting programs. This is an increase of 6.1% over 1996 and the largest growth in any of the 12 urban metropolitan councils in the Western Region.

Within the Cub Scout program 10,565 boys, in first through fifth grade, learn social and personal values like fairness, honesty, citizenship and helping others. The activities are fun, but fund with a purpose.

Boys in the first grade participate in Tiger Cubs where they learn more about their world, their community and themselves while working in partnership with an adult family member. They follow the motto, Search, Discover, Share!, working together on at-home projects, plus attending a monthly event with other Tiger Cubs and their adult partners.

Cub Scouts is a family and neighborhood centered program for boys in second through fifth grades. Cub Scouts work on advancement requirements with their families and meet weekly for age-specific activities in small groups (dens) led by adult volunteer leaders. Monthly pack meetings bring dens and families together for recognition and fun.


In the Boy Scout program, for boys eleven through seventeen, 5,732 Scouts take part in a vigorous program that includes camping, outdoor activities and a challenging advancement program which develops self-confidence, and leadership and teamwork skills, while introducing boys to over 100 hobby and career choices. Boy Scouts learn by doing, with weekly Scout-led meetings and monthly camping trips, and an emphasis on service to others.

Boy Scouts are encouraged to adopt and live by meaningful personal standards as a cornerstone of success in life.


Exploring is a career and special interest-oriented program for young men and women, aged 14 through 20. Currently, 4,819 young people participate in Exploring through posts or ships chartered by business, churches or organizations that believe the youth of our community need opportunites to try various vocational and advocational options. Qualified adult role models work closely with the Explorers to provide real-world career information and help members develop social and leadership skills.

Exploring is structured around the interests of the youth members and teaches leadership and problem-solving skills. It encourages young people to stay in school and take advantage of educational opportunities.


Learning for Life provides 14,446 boys and girls in Kindergarten through twelfth grade with classroom-based active learning experiences that help them to develop self-esteem, motivation and self-confidence, which will enable them to face the complexities of society, today and in the future.

In partnership with local schools, Learning for Life connects young people with information and role models in vital areas such as ethical decision-making, career awareness and independent living. It incorporates the values of Scouting into the classroom curriculum.

The Urban Outreach Program focuses on the growing number of under-served youth in the inner-cities of Oakland and San Francisco. Through collaboration with city governments, school systems, police and fire departments, neighborhool religious institutions and the corporate community, Scouting is able to provide a meaningful values-based program to 8,233 young people within the neighborhoods. By adapting to meet the needs of urban youth, we are able to serve children who might not otherwise receive any exposure to Scouting.

The purpose of the Urban Outreach Program is to teach young people coping strategies, self confidence and leadership skills. This is accomplished through traditional Scouting methods such as camping, outdoor experiences, advancement and community service.

The Scouting program is delivered to young people by trained volunteers, through units that are charted to community organizations. Support is provided to units by the volunteer leadership and professional staff of the San Francisco Bay Area Council.


. . .Meeting the Needs of All Youth



Scouting Delivers Leadership, Values and Fun


When we ask a Scout what he likes about Scouting, he probably answers, "It's fun!"

Along with the fun, is a combination of training and activities that develop desireable qualities of character, citizenship and fitness.

The outdoor program, the Scouting skills, and the democratic action of a Scouting unit are means to an end. Every Scouting activity moves boys and young adults from where they are, toward the achievement of their goals.

SERVICE


The Scout Slogan,Do a Good Turn Daily, is not a mere phrase, but becomes a way of life.

A major emphasis of the Scouting program is service to others. Scouts must give service in order to advance in rank on their trail to Eagle Scout. In addition, there are a variety of other projects that units undertake to improve their community. It is one of the ways in which we are able to help the community as a whole. Whether it is recycling, cleaning up a neighborhood or a churck, or working together with other agencies, Scouts in the San Francisco Bay Area Council can be found giving back to the community.

Since 1988, a total of 1,000,000 cans of food have been collected for the hungry through the Scouting for Food Good Turn.



OUTDOOR PROGRAM


In the outdoors young people learn the kindred virtues of self-reliance, teamwork, responsibility and planning - things corporations today spend billions of dollars to teach to their employees.

The outdoor program of the San Francisco Bay Area Council is designed to provide unique opportunities to learn, in a very real setting, how to make the right decisions, not just for the moment - but for life. Teaching ethical decision-making skills is the prime by-product of a quality outdoor program.

An outdoor laboratory where young people test the waters and make their own choices. . .and then live with the results, learning valuable lessons for life.


ADVANCEMENT


As one might expect, 844 Scouts honed their outdoor skills by earning the swimming, camping and canoeing merit badges in 1997. But it is also important to note that:

  • 490 young men learned more about their government and their responsibilities as citizens by earning the Citizenship in the Community, in the Nation, and in the World Merit Badges.
  • 1332 Scouts learned the skills necessary to be of service to others in a emergency through Merit Badges such as First Aid, Safety, Lifesaving, Crime Prevention, Emergency Preparedness and Wilderness Survival.
  • 614 Scouts increased their knowledge of basic life skills by earning Merit Badges such as Cooking, Personal Management, Home Repairs and Family Life.


    Scouting is the training ground for the next generation of community leaders.



    FINANCIAL SUPPORT


    For the seventh year in a row, the Council's commitment to sound fiscal operations, asset managment and endowment development has resulted in a balanced budget. This was accomplished through the support of all our contributors, including individuals, corporations and foundations, and through excellent stewardship practiced at all levels.

    1997 began with the Invest in the Promise Campaign that seeks contributions at every level to fund the Council's day-to-day operating expenses. Through the leadership of Chairman Andy Ball, $1,039,784 was raised in support of Scouting. During this period of time the principles of Total Quality Scouting became the tools used by campaign leadership to build a strong foundation for future campaigns, while at the same time meeting current-year budget objectives.

    With the aid of special events, both old and new, $615,000 in additional funding was raised to sustain the Council's commitment to continue to provide a quality Scouting program. Veteran events such as the Gala and Auction and the Construction Lunch-O-Ree rasied more dollars for Scouting than they ever had in the past. In addition, two new events, the Raiders Golf Tournament and the Slaute to Women Explorers Awards Breakfast, were extremely successful, both in dollars raised and in providing increased public awareness of the programs of Scouting.


    Securing the Future of Scouting


    Building a future for the Scouting program has led to an emphasis on expanding the Council's Endowment Fund. Endowment growth will continue to be a focus of the Council as we seek new funding sources to aid in the expansion and perpetuation of the Scouting program for the generations yet to come.


    The James E. West Fellowship Award recognizes contributions of $1,000 or more in cash or securities to the Council's Endowment Fund. The James E. West Fellowship honored 54 contributors in 1997.

    The Founders Circle recognizes deferred gifts designated for the Council's Endowment Fund. With deferred giving so effectively used by so many donors, the Council wants to recognize the importance of such major gifts.

    The 1910 Society, named after the year in which the Boy Scouts of America was organized as a national movement, annually recognizes individuals, businesses and organizations that donate a minimum of $25,000 to the Council's Endowment Fund. Four individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area Council have become members of the 1910 society.

    The Heritage Society of the San Francisco Bay Area Council recognizes our visionary leaders who share a dedication to building the Council's Endowment Fund. Each of the 120 members of this group has either made a direct contribution to the Council's Endowment Fund or has a written commitment to a future gift.


    The impact of these future gifts will strengthen our endowment and help to ensure a bright future for the youth of the Bay Area. Ultimately, all dollars contributed go to provide a quality Scouting program to an ever-increasing number of young people in the Bay Area.

    The 1997 Financial Statement is available from the Council Office.


    CHARTERED ORGANIZATIONS


    Through Scouting, our children benefit from a unique partnership of religious, educational, civic and government organizations in the mission to serve youth and the community. Over 380 community organizations have joined Scouting in a partnership with the purpose of challenging our youth to grow through education from new experiences, self-esteem from asserting themselves as leaders, and physical challenge through outdoor experiences.

    Some charted partners sponsor a single pack, troop or post; others sponsor entire neighborhoods in our Urban Outreach programs. Some of these community organizations have only recently become charted partners, a few just this year, but most have been partners in Scouting for many years. Some have been chartered organizations for over 80 years! These long standing partnerships provide a qulity, stable, consistent program for our youth members. The San Francisco Bay Area Council, Boy Scouts of America extends its great appreciation to these very special partners.


    1997 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

    Council Officers
    George W. Rowe, President
    Richard W. Palfreyman,Council Commissioner
    C. Earl Corkett,Council Treasurer
    John F. Nicolai, Assistant Treasurer
    Richard W. Palfreyman, Immediate Past Chairman
    Stephen E. Barnes, Scout Executive

    Executive Committee
    Michael W. Faber
    J. George Hayashi
    Conrad W. Hewitt
    John E. Hulse
    Dr. John G. Jackson,Jr
    Angus A. MacNaughton
    Wayne R. Moon
    C. Bradley Mulholland
    D.E. "Ned" Mundell
    Robert T. Parry
    Ronald M. Sabraw
    Chauncey E. Schmidt
    Charles M. Stockholm
    Donald W. Sullivan
    Kline A. Wilson, Jr.
    John H. Wimberly

    District Chairs
    Howard Waits, Peralta
    John Porter, Tres Ranchos
    Frank Heiss, Mission Peaks
    Richard Kozlow, Golden Gate
    Paul Moffat, Twin Valley
    Bob Glaze, Exploring North
    Dr. Richard Twogood, Exploring South
    Nick G. Tarlson, Exploring West

    Advisory Board
    C. Lee Emerson, Jr.
    James A. Felchlin
    Jerome W. Hull
    Herbert A. Jensen
    Ben A. Leal
    Walter R. McLean
    Thomas K. McManus, Sr
    Masud R. Mehran
    Raymond F. O'Brien
    Barton W. Shackelford

    Executive Board
    Andy Ball
    Leslie Brockhurst
    John W. Dewes
    Paul A. Downey
    Kevin B. Ferrell
    Kenneth L. Fisher
    Edgar Flowers,jr
    J. Patrick Foley
    Holgar B. Gantz
    William j. Griffin
    Richard J. Guggenhime
    Mohan Gyani
    Ted W. Harris
    Lawrence Heiges
    Harold M. Hoogasian
    Lorenzo N. Hoopes
    Mary Huss
    Alan Hyman
    R. Michael James
    Thomas J. Klitgaard
    Richard S. Kopf
    Elissa Laurence
    P. Scott McKibben
    Michael A. Meyers
    Forrest E. Miller
    Mark Miller
    David Mourning
    J. Tracy O'Rourke
    Richard R. Pohli
    Gordon L. Soltau
    Michael E. Strain
    Kirk Usher, jr
    Marshall I. Wais
    Howard Waits
    John H. Williford,jr


    Scouting in the San Francisco Bay Area Council is supported totally by individuals and businesses that want a strong Scouting program for the youth of our community.


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