Potawatomi Council celebrates Scouting

Posted: Feb. 4, 2010

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OUTLET FOR YOUTH - The Potawatomi Area Council is able to provide camping, fishing, hiking and more to its 8,000 youth with the help of 2,600 registered volunteers. For more information on the council, visit pacbsa.org.

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OUTLET FOR YOUTH - The Potawatomi Area Council is able to provide camping, fishing, hiking and more to its 8,000 youth with the help of 2,600 registered volunteers. For more information on the council, visit pacbsa.org.

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Monday marks the start of the Boy Scouts of America centennial celebration and the Potawatomi Area Council is of course, prepared to celebrate.

On May 1, Potawatomi will host its Scout Festival at Waukesha County Technical College that kicks off with an Eagle breakfast.

"We're looking for Eagle Scouts in the county to join us for breakfast," Scout Executive/CEO Pat Scherer said.

The day will continue with activities beginning at 9 a.m. where many will earn advancements and the public is invited to come out and observe the event.

Also in correlation with the 100th anniversary, the council is asking its units to participate in a service project they chose in order to complete 100 service projects throughout the territory.

Scherer said that local units have already identified 60 to 70 projects. "We'd be happy to go beyond 100 and we're working on that. If the public has any suggestions for service projects, it can be anything from stuff one or two Scouts can do to 50 to 60," he said.

Local celebrations

The Potawatomi Council ended a successful decade of Scouting in the area. In 2009 alone, the council:

• Attained the Centennial Quality Council Award and three Districts achieved Centennial Quality District for achieving excellence in providing quality programs.

• One-hundred and nine Scouts earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest advancement rank in Scouting.

• Scouts collected 138,433 food items for the needy as part of the 2009 Scouting for Food Good Turn project.

• The Council's highest award for Service was presented to Bruce Boll, Kathy Boyd, Bill Kellner, Mark Nelson and John Rauenbuehler.

• Camp Long Lake in Dundee saw 1,050 Scouts at summer camp

• Officer John Krahn was presented with the Law Enforcement Exploring Lifesaving Honor Award for performing an extraordinary act of heroism and saving the lives of a mother and infant

Beyond these accomplishments that are noted on a council brochure chock-full of Potawatomi statistics and information. Council President, Donald Reinicker, shared with the Waukesha Rotary Club last Monday that the Council will initiate local day camps this year. Sherer said the council will host six community day camps in county parks (Menomonee, Foxbrook, Muskego and Mukwonago) and at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy from June to August.

"We're trying to make the day camp programs closer to families so moms and dads can drop off and pick up on the way to and from work and make it easier for the boys to participate," he said.

More 100th happenings

Culminating the 100th anniversary celebrations nationwide, 72 Potawatomi Scouts will attend the National Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia July 6 through Aug. 4. Each day the Scouts, along with their colleagues, will participate in activities, view exhibits and simply celebrate 100 years of Scouting.

Sherer said what's neat about the National Jamboree is that Scouts at home will be able to watch the culminating ceremony there via live Web cast.

The Scouts are also rounding up all Scout alumni to share their stories in commemoration of the 100th anniversary. Sherer said there is an estimated 40 million Boy Scout alumni. To join, visit pacbsa.org." target="_blank">pacbsa.org.

100 years of history

Waukesha County Historical Society & Museum Director of Development and Marketing Jim Hahn shared a bit of what's in store for visitors to the museum's exhibit, Boy Scouts of America, 100th Anniversary that opened Feb. 6.

The exhibit was Troop 5 Scout Brock Baxter's project to complete his Eagle rank advancement and Hahn said the interactive exhibit that will even include activities like an overnight camp and a Native American dance team visit, is spectacular.

The exhibit includes hundreds of items on loan to the museum from individual collectors both local and nationally including an original printing of the military scouting book written by Boy Scout founder, Robert Baden-Powell. Baden-Powell.

Hahn also said the exhibit includes a display of uniforms from each decade, an interactive room where visitors, especially children, can tie knots, fold an American flag and check out pine wood derby cars. A tepee set is set up at the entrance of the exhibit courtesy of Troop 5 that used the tepee in many of their Scouting ventures.

"Another real interesting story we will tell in the exhibit is a little known about Scouts in internment camps during WWII," Hahn said. He said one of the things people were allowed to take into the camp were their Scout uniforms. Therefore the boys would continue to maintain their troops and even have connection with troops outside the camps.

For more information on the Potawatomi Area Council, visit pacbsa.org or for more on the museum exhibit, visit waukeshacountymu seum.org.

By the numbers

The Potawatomi Area Council serves youth in Waukesha County and parts of Walworth, Dodge, Jefferson and Washington Counties, it boasts

7,915 youth members in

232 units aided by

2,616 volunteers

Dress to celebrate

In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America's official start on Monday, Feb. 8, all current and former Scouts are encouraged to wear their uniforms to work, school or wherever you venture out Monday.