Bob Mazzuca Begins Term as New Chief Scout Executive The Chief Scout Executive Selection Committee of the Boy Scouts of America in a unanimous vote on May 22, 2007 selected Mr. Robert J. Mazzuca, Assistant Chief Scout Executive to become the new Chief Scout Executive, effective September 1, 2007. • Mr. Mazzuca is an Eagle Scout. • He received a bachelor of arts in history from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California • He began his Scouting career in 1971 in Modesto, California, where he served as a district executive and an Exploring Executive. He became the Exploring Director in Sacramento in 1975 and eventually served as a Field Director and the Director of Field Service. In 1983 Mazzuca became the Scout Executive in Stockton, California, before serving as an area director in the Western Region and Scout Executive in Sacramento, Calif. In 1992 he became the Assistant Regional Director for the Southern Region and in 1995 the Scout Executive in Pittsburgh. His most recent position is that of Assistant Chief Scout Executive of the BSA. • He and his wife have two sons. Learn more about Bob and his vision for the Boy Scouts of America
Council Holds First Annual Soccer Camporee Greater Yosemite Council held its first annual Soccer Camporee on October 27th at Camp McConnell. The camporee was designed to introduce our Soccer and Scouting youth to traditional Cub Scouting. Cub Scout packs were invited to participate, provide an activity, and recruit our soccer youth into their program. Approximately 90 Soccer and Scouting youth plus their parents and siblings attended. Activities included fishing, archery, BB gun shooting, stomp bottle rockets, crafts, wood projects and frisbee golf. View photos of this great event in the Photo Album .
Scouting for Food Collects Non-Perishable Food Items Greater Yosemite Council's annual Good Turn collected over 55 tons of non-perishable food items which were delivered to local food banks. Units have been asked to report to their District Executive the total poundage collected. Also, report your service hours on the Good Turn for America web site. View the photos that have arrived from participating units.

 Through the kind and generous support of the Gerald I. Lawhorn Family, we are pleased to announce as part of the new national strategic plan, a National Parent Initiative to engage parents in all units—Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, Varsity Teams and Venturing Crews. The implementation of this program will be integrated into our current literature and our program delivery system.

By adopting this philosophy of support, a unit will be able to inspire many parents to become involved and more committed to the success of their child's Scouting experience. All units are encouraged to adopt the program as an integral part of their unit's program.

All units will appoint a ScoutParents Unit Coordinator who will keep all parents informed—

1.  Assign every parent to help with a specific task, assignment, or project annually;
2.  Orient parents in understanding how the unit works and the benefits to their family; and
3.  Keep parents updated on the unit's program and their child's involvement.

To see more about what is being developed, go to www.scoutparents.org, which contains general information in the following categories: Scouting Basics, Benefits of Scouting, Scouting and Your Child, and Unit Resources. It also contains a discussion forum for parents and leaders to ask questions and explore ideas. They can also share their Scouting experiences and programs they use that might be of interest to another unit.

Some of the resources on the Web include:

1.  "Scouting Builds More Than Just Campfires" ProScouting brochure that briefs families, organizations and potential volunteers on the benefits of Scouting. (A Spanish version is also being developed.)
2.  Scouting Orientation Guide for Parents provides details of the program for every age and how there is a seamless transition from Cub Scouting to Boy Scouting to Venturing.
3.  "Welcome to Scouting" Orientation PowerPoint presentation provides parents with an overview of Scouting and the focus on the values of Scouting.

New Recruit and Retain DVD Sent to All Scoutmasters

A new set of troop membership and retention tools on DVD was direct-mailed from the national Boy Scout Division to all Scoutmasters. This package included videos that show how to conduct successful recruitment meetings, how to maximize the Webelos-to-Scout transition, how to train boys to recruit their friends, and what Scout parents are saying about our successful programs. The DVD package included a sample recruiter patch to be awarded to Boy Scouts who recruit a new Boy Scout. For a limited time, these patches will be provided at no cost to councils. Also included in the DVD package are videos that describe the requirements for the early Boy Scout ranks—Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class. These videos will help boy leaders and adult leaders work more effectively with new Scouts. Our objective is to get more boys to First Class rank because boys who earn First Class stay in the program longer. These new videos make the Boy Scout Handbook come to life on the screen. They can also be viewed anytime on our Web site, www.scouting.org/boyscouts/rankvideo, where they may also be downloaded as podcasts.

Good Turn For America

Since the BSA's inception in 1910, Scouts and Scouters alike have learned to live the principles of the Scout Oath and Law through community service and "helping other people at all times." With our rich history in mind, we have developed Good Turn for America.

What began with a singular act of service on a foggy London night quickly evolved into daily Good Turns and then into more encompassing national initiatives. These have included selling war bonds, collecting rubber and scrap metal, growing victory gardens during World War II, and more recently, Scouting for Food.

We now have an opportunity to raise our levels of community service and increase awareness of the Scouting program within our neighborhoods. Nationally, the Boy Scouts of America has partnered with The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, and the American Red Cross to increase our efforts in meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

Good Turn for America builds on our members' and participants' current service efforts and includes important partnerships with other community service organizations. These partnerships provide many additional avenues for all of our members and participants to provide community service in their neighborhoods.

For more information, visit www.goodturnforamerica.org.