Dear Scouting Family,
After careful consideration, Palmetto Council has made the difficult decision to extend the postponement/cancellation of all Council, District, and Unit in-person activities and events through Monday, June 8th.
While this decision is largely based off the federal recommendations on when youth activities should resume, it also includes the input of many volunteers and parents on the likelihood of them participating in events scheduled prior to June 8th. Through these discussions it quickly became clear that if in-person events went forward the necessary number of volunteers and participants needed to make them successful would be difficult to muster.
It has also been decided that Cub Scout Day Camps will take a different form this summer. Due to the restrictions from COVID-19 we will not hold our traditional model but in their place our great Day Camp volunteers are feverishly working to put together a virtual day camp experience. We plan to share details about this program by May 15. We are optimistic that our York Twilight Camp and some new one-day Cub Scout Activity Days to supplement the virtual Day Camps will be able to take place in July.
In order to support our summer programs, the Palmetto Council office will resume daily operations on May 18th, however, the lobby will remain closed until June 8th. Curbside pick-up and mail delivery for scout shop purchases will be available through June 8th. Please call the Council office at 864-585-4391 or email Palmetto.Scoutshop@scouting.org for assistance.
In closing, I would like to thank the many volunteers and staff that have helped to keep Scouting strong over the past two months. Our online Merit Badge University launched in early April and has to date offered over 100 different classes to over 3,000 participants. While this has been a great help to our scouts in Palmetto Council, we have also seen scouts from 188 other councils in 45 states participate. We have just launched a religious emblem program for Cub Scouts and I have no doubt that our Virtual Cub Scout Day camps will employ the same quality and innovation seen in our Merit Badge University. Check out all our online programs at www.palmettocouncil.org.
I know none of us signed up for Scouting to spend more time at a computer screen. It is my sincere hope that we will all be able to get back outside very soon.
Stay safe and keep Scouting!