[Sca-cooks] Re: Boy Scouts and the SCA

[johnna holloway]

As far as I know the questions regarding the BSA and
United Way funding and use of facilities is very much
a local issue. The answers vary according to region.
Actually in our area, the United Way has just tackled
the issue of funding the Boy Scouts at the Council level.
They can receive funding as of next July, only if it is
designated funding... ie., you fill in their name on the
form and say give this amount to the Scouts. Much like
it operates for Planned Parenthood. The local in -town
United Way (community of 4000) wrote a letter and said
basicly get real and join the 21st century. They have taken
their donation and divided it among the town's packs and
troops for use locally. Which means that the local boys
will see some benefit from the money and it doesn't all
end up at Council or National.As a former Den Mom and now
as a Merit Badge Advisor and Committee Member for a troop,
[I just sat through advanced training in March, and I have
been receiving the leadership magazines and newsletters
for the past several years now] so I feel that I am correct
in stating the above.
There is no national blanket ban on funding from the United Way.
As to handicapped facilities, the scout camps vary but are
increasingly accessible. And handicapped boys are welcome.
There are provisions to substitute activities to allow them
to continue to earn merit badges and rank, even if they cannot
camp or hike.

Johnna Holloway   Johnnae llyn Lewis

Liam Fisher wrote:>
> Correct, the Boy Scouts have been denied the use of public funding since
> they started banning Homosexuals, Athiests and Wiccans.  They used to get a
> solid chunk of funding from the United Way, but they still get enough money
> from the private sector (including lots of fundamental religious
> organizations).snipped---
 As a private organization they do not have to provide any
> kind of handicapped access at all for their sites.  Two of the local sites,
> Camp Karoondinha, which is in my old shire, and camp Levigne are very
> different.  The former has no facilities and is a real pain to get around
> with a handicap and the latter has decent facilities.>
> Anyway, I guess my point is they're a private organization now and can do
> what the heck they want to do.>
> Cadoc MacDairi