Silver Beaver Nominations Due December 1, 2020

The Silver Beaver Award was introduced in 1931 and is a council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. Recipients of this award are registered Scouters who have made an impact on the lives of youth through service given to the council.
The nomination form is available HERE and must be submitted to the council service center no later than December 1, 2020. Completed nomination forms can be mailed to the Palmetto Council Service Center OR emailed to palmettocouncil@scouting.org.

Commissioner Interest Meeting

ATTENTION! We want YOU to be a Commissioner! Come out to The Rock Hill Roasting Company on Wednesday, September 16th, 2020 for food, fun, and fellowship. Don't know what a Commissioner is or what they do? This is a perfect time to find out, and see if it works with your Scouting schedule. Chip Ratterree (hbrjr1@msn.com) will be happy to see you there and answer all questions.

What: Commissioner Interest Meeting
When: 7pm Wednesday, September 16th, 2020
Where: The Rock Hill Roasting Company 122 S Oakland Ave. Rock Hill, SC 29730

SEE YOU THERE!


Palmetto Council Virtual Scouting Challenge

Dear Palmetto Council Leader,

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO START A SOCIAL MEDIA MOVEMENT!

It is finally that time of the year when we recruit and welcome new members into our Scouting family. The pandemic has forced us to get creative this year since traditional classroom visits and in-person recruitments are not possible. Whether you are the leader of a pack or troop, Cub Scouts are the future and we are all invested in the success of recruitment season.

We are asking you – our core Leaders – to help raise awareness of Scouting and our virtual Cub Scout recruitment meetings by helping to engage your current families through social media. We are launching a virtual Scouting challenge and we are asking you to lead the challenge by asking your families to post their Scouting story on social media. The post should share your personal/family Scouting story, invite others to join our Scouting family, use the link and hashtags below and challenge five others to do the same!

To do this, we are asking that you share images and captions that answer:What does Scouting mean to me? At the end of your post add the hashtags and link to our virtual recruitment below.

As a thank you for helping spread the word, we will be recognizing the top unit. Each post you share by August 3rd with our recruitment hashtag, #LoveWhereYouScout, your unit hastag, #UnitType#, and recruitment link is a new entry. The unit with the highest family participation will receive a $100 gift card for the Palmetto Scout Shop.

Additionally, consider adding our recruitment frame to your Facebook profile picture, asking your families to do the same, and directly inviting your friends to one of our Facebook events.

Please add the hashtag and link below to each of your posts and be entered to win!

Here is the template: What does Scouting mean to me? (Insert your story HERE). Invest in your youth – join Cub Scouts! #LoveWhereYouScout #UnitType# - Register to join Scouting: https://bit.ly/joincs549
I was nominated by: (Insert Name)
I challenge (Name 1), (Name 2), (Name 3), (Name 4) & (Name 5) to share their Scouting story! Be sure to copy the hashtags and registration info!

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Council Key 3 Fireside Chat

Join the Palmetto Council Key 3 for a zoom based fireside chat on 6/23/20 at 6:30 PM. All are invited to join us to ask our council leadership any questions or concerns you may have. We will give a brief opening and spend the rest of the time answering any and all questions. Below, you can submit your questions ahead of time so we can be prepared and have all of the information we need to answer your questions. Our Council Key 3 is committed to doing the best to support our Scouts and adult leaders. We appreciate your time to help us support our Scouting family going forward!

6/1 COVID-19 Update

On Monday, June 8th Palmetto Council district and council activities, as well as scout unit meetings and activities, are permitted to resume in-person.  Many of you have been looking forward to being able to gather together again to work on advancement, go camping, and complete service projects; but also want to ensure these activities are being done as safely as possible.  In order to mitigate the health risk of spreading Coronavirus to our volunteers and scouts, the Palmetto Council is providing the following guidelines for consideration.  These recommendations are designed to mitigate risk, but all participants need to be aware that any activity puts them at some risk of exposure.  Please remember that exposure to coronavirus could be asymptomatic.  If a person becomes infected, they may become asymptomatic carriers and would then most likely infect other people unknowingly. 

1)      Before resuming any meetings check with your charter partner to ensure they approve.  Some charter partners are not opening their facilities for meetings or have imposed additional restrictions on groups meeting.  Rules or guidance from your charter partner must be followed.  Please respect their wishes. 

2)      Individuals at higher risk of severe illness (older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions) should consult their physician prior to participation in any group activities.

3)      All participants should review their current health prior to participating in any activity.  Individuals with temperatures and other symptoms of COVID-19 should not participate. 

4)      All units should keep a detailed roster of participants for all meetings and activities, so they are prepared in the event that contact tracing is required. 

5)      All individuals who believe they may have been exposed to Coronavirus must quarantine for 14-days prior to participation in any Scouting activity. 

6)      Outdoor meetings are highly encouraged. 

7)      Groups are encouraged to maintain social distancing of six feet or more. 

8)      Group meeting size should be limited to 50 people or 50% of the capacity of your meeting room, whichever is smaller.  While we realize there are a number of Troops and Packs with more than 50 youth, this number will allow for appropriate social distancing and efficient contact tracing in the event of potential exposure.  Activities done in small groups (den meetings and patrol meetings) are preferable.

9)      Transportation to and from activities should be made within family units.  Carpooling should be discouraged. 

10)  When practical, it is recommended that each Scout and adult should wear a cloth mask.

11)  Handwashing and sanitation of shared supplies must be done between use. 

12)  Sleeping arrangements on camping trips should be limited to one person per tent, unless they are family. 

13)  Families/siblings do not need to maintain social distancing for transportation, sleeping, or meetings.

14)  6 ft. distancing should be maintained when practical during hikes, bike rides, and other follow the leader activities. 

15)  All local, state, and federal safety guidelines should be followed.  Please review guidelines for not only your unit’s meeting location, but the location of any camping/activity destination. 

16)  Ensure all BSA Youth Protection guidelines are adhered to. 

17)  It is recommended that these guidelines be shared with each member of your unit and posted during all meetings and activities. Units should obtain written permission from parents stating that they have reviewed these guidelines and consent to having their child participate in Scouting activities.  Keep these permissions with the unit health forms.    

Finally, as Scouts, it is important that we demonstrate the principles of the Scout Law now more than ever before.  As regulations begin to loosen individuals within your scout unit may have varying levels of comfort or anxiety.  It is our responsibility to be kind while being helpful and friendly and demonstrate empathy and respect to everyone, even if they have beliefs different than ours.  As we move forward let’s be cheerful and brave while showing reverence to the rules, regulations and guidance of our State, Counties, Cities, and Chartered Organizations.   

Stay Safe and Keep Scouting!

COVID-19 Update

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!

COVID-19 Update

In compliance with the governor’s order for the closure of all non-essential businesses, the Palmetto Council office will be closed effective today, April 1 through at least April 30. Most of our staff will continue to work remotely and can be reached by email or cell phone. We will also be periodically checking the mail in order to receive and process any essential advancement or membership documents and vendor payments.

Additionally, in light of the most recent guidance from national, state, and local health officials it is necessary to extend the postponement/cancellation of all Council, District, and Unit in-person activities and events through at least April 30.

As stated previously, units are encouraged to continue holding meetings virtually. There have been a number of great examples of this happening throughout Palmetto Council over the last two weeks.

Finally, due to multiple requests we will begin offering online merit badge classes starting next week. Our goal is to offer a minimum of 2-3 merit badges each week through the end of April. The anticipated cost for all classes is $5. Look for an initial list of classes and how to sign up by the end of this week.

Thank you for all that you do for Scouting and Palmetto Council. Our staff’s goal over the next few weeks is to help all of our Scouting family to keep connecting even if it is remotely. We are also still diligently working to develop and prepare our summer programs, which I believe all of us are looking forward to more this year than ever before.

Stay safe and keep Scouting!

Sincerely,
Justin K. Williams
Scout Executive/CEO