The Tide ● Council News ● BSA News & Info

Are you moving, downsizing, or just cleaning out, and have Boy/Scout Cub Scout clothing and/or camping equipment? Call or e-mail us and we will pick it up. We will also pick up Order of the Arrow and Scouting patches, mugs, pins, handbooks and related material.
Call John L. Fort, Jr. at: 1-910-799-5418

BSA Response to Solicitations
Scouters and others have been receiving letters from various nonprofit organizations claiming to support the Boy Scouts of America and seeking contributions. Some of these groups refer to Scouting in their name: "Save Our Scouts" or "Scouting Legal Defense Fund," and some do not. all of them claim to be supporting Scouting's legal activities in some fashion, but none of them are authorized by BSA to be seeking funds. Most important, no contributions to these groups go directly to Scouting. The boy Scouts of America does not solicit funds in this manner and you may be assured that no names or addresses are ever sold or given to anyone outside the organization. These groups generally use mailing lists purchased from commercial organizations that compile such lists from magazine subscriptions and other sources. We regret the confusion and misdirection of contributions that these solicitations cause, and we are also taking appropriate legal measures to deal with these parties. Under our federal Constitution, these groups have the right to solicit funds and to express their support, but they do not have any right to mislead or confuse people. Some of these organizations have provided support to the BSA through "friend of the court" briefs or published articles, but we would prefer that they did not seek to profit by these activities through soliciting funds in the name of Scouting. Their activities have resulted in confusion and frustration for many of the recipients of these solicitations. Anyone who wishes to support the Boy Scouts of America should make their contributions directly to the Cape Fear Council at PO Box 7156, Wilmington, NC 28406. Additional council information may be found at www.capefearcouncilbsa.org

Boy Scout Age Clarification:
At the February National Executive Board Meeting, the board amended the rules and regulations to clarify that no boy may join Boy Scouting until he reaches the age of 10. This does not lower the age requirements. The requirement previously said a boy must have completed the fifth grade or be age 11 or have earned the Arrow of Light Award to be a Boy Scout. The new requirement says he must have completed the fifth grade and be at least 10 years old or be age 11 or have earned the Arrow of Light Award and be at least 10 years old. This clarification will become effective May 15, 2004.

Scouting has a New Information Resource:
bsalegal.org is the official Boy Scout Web site for news, information, education and answers to questions about the legal challenges confronting Scouting today. Go with www.bsalegal.org

Clarifying Unit Tax-Exempt Status
Clarification of the federal tax status of Boy Scout packs, troops, and other units, in response to recent questions we’ve received. Download the pdf.