| Many volunteers across the country have requested information on how to help Scouting in Ukraine. Please see the official statement from the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) below. WOSM recognizes one National Scout Organization per country. For Ukraine, the Member Organization is National Organization of Scouts of Ukraine (NOSU). We encourage all NSOs that any Scouting support is channeled through the mechanisms made available through WOSM. We are aware that many other non-WOSM but Scout-like entities are active in the region, including PLAST. We are not affiliated with organizations in Ukraine besides NOSU. In most cases, the best way to help with the unfolding humanitarian crisis is to make a financial contribution through WOSM or another reputable NGO. To directly support Scouts’ humanitarian relief work in Ukraine and for refugees, you can donate at bit.ly/scoutsukraine. Representatives on the ground know what is needed and financial contributions help them purchase the most needed and locally-appropriate supplies. For additional and ongoing updates, please visit: https://www.scout.org/Ongoing-Scouts-Emergency-Response-in-Ukraine. Questions? Email international@scouting.org. |
BSA Updates to Unit Fiscal Policies
The Boy Scouts of America has updated FAQs for its Fiscal Policies and Procedures for BSA Units. These FAQs include information on current unit registration options, tax exempt status, unit banking, equipment insurance, dissolution of the unit, and fundraising. They have also provided updates to the Pay Pal/Venmo reporting procedures to in accordance with recent IRS new reporting requirements.
For more information on these and other unit finance questions, go to our Unit Information Page.
PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEW STAFF
Scout Executive Wayne Pancoast is pleased to make the following personnel announcement:
Cheryl Collins has accepted the position of Registrar effective April 20, 2022. Her responsibilities include the data entry of all our membership applications, processing of Eagle applications, recharter processing and securing our membership records. She will also be a backup for customer service and Scout Shop.
Cheryl attended Johnson County Community College where she worked towards an associate degree in Business Administration. The majority of her employment history has been spent as an Administrative Assistant. She worked at the Kansas City Christian School as an Executive Assistant where both of her children attended. She is the mother of an Eagle Scout. During her free time, she enjoys gardening and quilting as well as spoiling her grandchildren.
Please welcome Cheryl to the Jayhawk Area Council.
Nominating Committee Begins Selecting 2022-23 Slate of Officers
Council President Nick Xidis has appointed Executive Board Member Dr. Brenda Dietrich as the Nominating Committee Chair. In this role, Chairwoman Dietrich will assemble a committee to review the current members of the executive board, members-at-large, executive committee, and advisory board, seek new candidates to join the various committees, and recruit the new slate of officers. The final slate will presented at the council annual meeting to be held February 9, 2022 for approval.
The Executive Board is the governing body of the Jayhawk Area Council charged with carrying out the mission of the Boy Scouts of America to serve youth in our 10 ½ county area. All board members are elected for one-year terms. The board is comprised a individuals from varying professions, backgrounds, and geographic locations.
Anyone wishing to propose a person to serve on the executive board can submit that recommendation to Dr. Brenda Dietrich for consideration by the nominating committee. Please include some background on the individual as to why you feel they should be considered as well as your contact information for further follow-up should it be necessary. Please do not inform the prospective individual in advance. According to the Jayhawk Area Council Bylaws, there is a limit to the number of board members and the committee weighs a number of factors when considering candidates.
All nominations must be received by January 15, 2022 to allow time for appropriate consideration. Any nominations received after that date will be considered by the committee and proposed for approval at a later time.
Notice to All Unit Leaders and Unit Advancement Chairs and Unit Leaders!
Over the next few months, the Boy Scouts of America will be migrating its membership data base completely over to My.Scouting. This process will not only retire a program that has been used since 2000, but offer new features in managing unit rosters allowing greater ability to make changes at the unit level such as leadership position changes, transfers, etc. It should also make for an easier transfer of advancement records from ScoutBook since the programs will be more compatible.
As many of you have probably experienced, any transition/conversion of platforms may cause some unforeseen challenges. It is our intention to make sure all advancements are properly uploaded into our membership database and ensure your Scouts’ records are accurate. To accomplish this, we are asking for your assistance.
Beginning June 1, 2021, all units must have an advancement report to purchase rank badges and merit badges from the Jayhawk Scout Shop. The advancement report can be supplied in one of three ways.
- Hard Copy/Printed Version of the BSA Advancement Report (link)
- Copy that the advancements have been entered into Scoutbook
- Printout from a third-party advancement program
This ONLY applies to rank advancements and merit badges. All other recognition items or award can be purchased without an advancement report. If, after a period of time, we see that everything is migrating across without issue, then we can pull back on this practice. Our goal is to make sure the advancements earned are properly credited.
For units from our neighboring councils, your reports will be sent to your respective council on your behalf.
Please make sure you share this with the people that are purchasing awards for your unit. We want everyone to, “Be Prepared” to provide an advancement report when they come in. If you have any questions about Scoutbook, please let us know so we can can connect you with someone that can address your concerns.
Thanks to everyone for your help as we do our best to ensure all your Scouts’ hard work is properly recorded.
