By now you have
may have read or heard about the recent Wall Street Journal article speculating
on the Boy Scouts of America’s finances. According to the report, the BSA has
hired a high-powered legal team to look into the possibility of declaring
bankruptcy to weather some financial storms, including some big-dollar lawsuits
dating back to the 1970s.
The BSA – the
national organization itself – has an obligation to its members to remain
strong. As such they are exploring all options for best management of their
assets. Sometimes this involves contacting outside experts. No decision has
been made or is imminent at this point about BSA’s national finances.
As expected,
speculation has been running rampant following the report. As the president of
the board of the Iroquois Trail Council (which serves the scouts of eastern
Niagara, Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties) I’ve been asked
quite a few times about what bankruptcy and financial reorganization of the BSA
would mean for local scouts, our neighborhoods, and our business partners.
The simple
answer: There will be little to no impact locally.
The Iroquois Trail Council is a corporation separate from
the BSA and maintains its own 501(c)3 status. Business decisions made on this
or any issue by the BSA will not impact the assets of the Iroquois Trail
Council – including our camps and donations made to our local program by
families, donors, and community partners like the United Way.
It is important
to note that the Iroquois Trail Council is governed by local volunteers who
provide strong oversight on budget development, fundraising, spending, and
investment. During the past decade, our Council has routinely balanced its
budget, been creative with our staffing model, made substantial capital
improvements to Council-owned facilities, and ensured the future of local
Scouting through growth in our Council’s endowment fund. The Iroquois Trail
Council is also debt-free and has no pending litigation. This diligent
governance from our volunteers -- and our very small year-round paid staff –
ensures we have a well-run and financially viable organization.
Our Council has
much to be grateful for this year. Through the continued support of our
generous volunteers’ time and financial resources, as well as donations from supporters
across the region, we are able to provide a high-quality Scouting program to
nearly 2,500 scouts in our spacious 5-county area. We had an outstanding summer
camp season and tremendous enthusiasm for the launch of Family Scouting. Also,
our packs and troops have been ubiquitous in their hometowns, aiding our towns,
villages, and cities with food drives and other impactful service
projects.
We cannot and
will not let any potential financial restructuring by the national organization
distract us from our goals of preparing youth – our future -- for a lifetime of
leadership, positive character, and community service.
They are worthy
goals, for sure. I often tell people who are dismissive of today’s younger generations
to spend time with some cub scouts and boy scouts. They’ll admire who these
young people are and who they will become. Tomorrow will be in great hands when
these children and teens grow up to lead our communities, schools, businesses,
and governments.
Scouting is just
as meaningful now as it was when the BSA was founded 108 years ago. It will
continue to be for many, many decades more -- even amidst the occasional storm
that might shake its very foundation.
From the 24 December 2018 Greater Niagara
Newspapers and Batavia Daily News