Download the Latest Friends of Scouting Contribution Form now!
(It's in .pdf format, so you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader)

People often ask, "How is Scouting doing today?"

Scouting is doing well, but it's not reaching every young person who could benefit from the values it teaches. More young people than ever need the values of Scouting in their lives.

American families are not what they once were. More often than not, Mom and Dad both work. Many are single parents. Some children come home to an empty house. When their parents return from work there is not always enough time and energy left for to provide the nurturing and support to children.

Today, more than ever, America needs the character-building program of the Boy Scouts of America.

Here in Tidewater Council, more than 9,000 youth, ages 6 through 20, benefit from Scouting. More than 4,000 adults serve as volunteer leaders.

It takes money to provide a year-round program for this many youth. Much of that money comes from donations through the annual Friends of Scouting campaign. Scouting families, Scout leaders and members of the public are asked to support Tidewater Council with their donations.

Generous donations from Friends of Scouting provide council programs that support local Scouting units and youth members in many ways.

The council assists with the administration of the unit by:

• Handling registration and Boys' Life subscriptions. More than 15,000 registrations were processed in 2006 alone, not counting changes in addresses and other information.
• Answering more than 50,000 phone calls a year from unit leaders, parents and visitors who want information related to the program.
• Maintaining a supply of literature, insignia, forms and certificates.
• Producing the annual council calendar, schedules, program kick-off kits, and other aids to unit leaders.
• Making thousands of reservations for summer camp, day camps, camporees, training courses, University of Scouting, Venturing\Exploring activities, numerous meetings each month, council and district dinners, Junior Leadership Training, Philmont, National Jamboree coordination and year-round camp use at one of four facilities.
• Producing regular bountiful sources of information known as the "Electronic Knapsacks" without cost to any subscriber.
• Establishing and updating an Official BSA Web site.
• Providing assistance on all youth protection issues.

The council serves the units by:

• Providing services of a full professional staff on a ratio of one professional for every 1,857 youth and leaders.
• Giving guidance to committees such as commissioners, roundtables, training, advancement, camping, activities and recognition, membership, relationships, marketing, and fund raising.
• Setting up and conducting various kinds of council and district activities such as camporalls, magic shows, Tiger Days, Freeze-O-Rees, camporees, good turn events, Veterans' Day parades, Eagle gatherings and Eagle recognition dinners.
• Recruiting and maintaining a corps of district Scouters and commissioners.
• Giving formal and informal training courses.
• Conducting monthly leader roundtables.
• Solving problems from simple to very complex.

The council helps the leader develop his or her program by:

• Providing annual program planning calendars, annual planning wall charts, Program Helps, spring and fall recruiting materials, all applications both adult and youth and advancement forms.
• Awarding ribbons and recruiting awards at no cost.
• Providing leader guidebooks for Day Camp, Boy Scout Summer Camp and Cub Resident Camp at no charge.
• Keeping records of advancement for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity crew members and Explorers.
• Maintaining a liability insurance policy that protects all leaders in the event of lawsuits arising from Scouting activities.
• Operating the Pipsico Scout Reservation, which is made up of Camp Lions, Camp Rotary, Camp Kiwanis and Camp Powhatan, and maintaining the leases on Camp Moonyah, Camp Maple Airport, and Camp Baker.
• Providing camperships for youth who need financial assistance to attend camp.
• Providing a toll-free line to North Carolina.

It costs Tidewater Council $162 per year to support a program for every youth member. Your financial support is needed to continue to provide a quality Scouting experience to the youth of Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake in Virginia and the counties of Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Pasquotank, Gates and Perquimans in North Carolina.

Do your part! Give to Friends of Scouting!

Download the latest Friends of Scouting Contribution Form now!
(It's in .pdf format, so you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America
Serving the youth of Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina
1032 Heatherwood Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Office: 757-497-2688 | Fax: 757-473-3305 | More contact info

Please note that the council specifically prohibits any individual from harvesting emails and sending unrelated and unnecessary communications to individuals listed on the Tidewater Council, Boy Scouts of America site without their expressed and written approval. This is not only un-Scout-like but also illegal.