Service to America

Facts About the Service to America Project

     One of the fundamental goals of the Presidents' Summit for America's Future is "to provide youth with the opportunity to give back through community service."

     The Order of the Arrow is proud to accept the challenge of promoting this program to our packs, troops and varsity Scout teams nationwide.

 Summit Goals: Our Commitment to Serve

     The Boy Scouts of America and each local council commits each youth to provide a minimum of 12 hours of community service annually through the year 2000. This will result in a total of 200 million hours of community service rendered by the BSA and its youth.

 Unit Visitations: Promoting Our Mission

     If you have a unit election or camp promotion presentation scheduled, then the summit commitment can be explained to your unit members at that time.  Each local lodge will schedule a visitation regardless of whether or not an election or camp promotion visitation has been scheduled. Talk with the Order of the Arrow community service promotion team to schedule a date and time. The presentation will take between 10 and 15 minutes depending on the number of questions your Scouts have.

 Recording Hours and Recognizing Our Scouts

     During the annual re-chartering process, the pack, troop and varsity Scout team applications for the Quality Unit Award will contain additional lines for recording the annual hours of service, total unit hours, and hours per Scout.  Each Scout who completes a minimum of 12 hours of community service per year may purchase a Service to America patch recognition in 1998 (segments in 1999 and 2000) from his local BSA distributor or Scout shop with unit leader approval. If 75 percent of the Scouts in the unit earn the patch recognition, then all unit leaders will be eligible to purchase a patch.

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