From the Council President 

It’s been a busy month for our council, our Scouts, and your Council Key 3.  I can only share the highlights; there’s just too much going on to write about it all.

Key Issues and Events

On March 2nd your Council Board met for a retreat with facilitators to help us create our council strategic plan. We had almost 100% attendance and we spent the day sharing ideas, goals and, most importantly, plans to achieve those goals.  It was a productive day with open communication and great ideas. More to come as we continue to work on the strategic plan.

Our board continues to work hard to address our most critical issues. Membership remains our first priority, and our new council membership team is working its way through the storming phase and into norming (If you aren’t familiar with those concepts – talk to Joe Cleary about Wood Badge).

Activities and Events around the Council

Make sure you follow the CIEC social media pages for all the latest news, but a few of the highlights for March:

We had an exceptional University of Scouting / Commissioner College at California Baptist University, with almost 300 Scouters attending from all over our National Service Territory – California, Nevada, Hawaii and even Guam.  All of the staff for the event deserve special thanks – so, THANK YOU! – but this event wouldn’t have happened without Rice Berkshire and Mike Downs.

Your Key 3 (Me, Scout Executive Matt Bear and Council Commissioner Joe Cleary) held the first of many Town Hall Meetings in Tahquitz District. The town hall meetings are intended to allow you to ask, and get answers, about the CIEC and its operations, or anything else Scouting related.  Our goal is to be as transparent as possible regarding council and district operations.  We will be visiting each district at least once this year, so watch for specific times and dates for your district – or feel free to attend a town hall in any or all of the districts.

On March 16, we recognized the Eagle Scout class of 2023 at the annual Eagle Scout Dinner at the Historic Riverside Courthouse.  Our keynote speaker, Upland Chief of Police Marcelo A. Blanco, gave our new (and old) Eagle Scouts encouraging advice on where they can go from here.  Congratulations to Faith Quezada for receiving the Adams Award for the CIEC Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year for 2023 and to Matt Brandt for the NESA Silver Wreath Award for exceptional service to the Council NESA Committee.

My Travels in March

My itinerary was full in March, too.  Our Scouts have a lot going on. Among the activities and events, I had the honor and pleasure of attending were:

Troop 62’s (Mt. Rubidoux District) Eagle Scout Court of Honor – congratulations Faith Quezada and Kathryn McVeigh; Two Courts of Honor for Sunrise District’s Troop 451 – congratulations Ariel Sanford and Rosemary Potter; Troop 129’s (MRD) game night they earned selling popcorn, and the anniversary dinner and Court of Honor for Pack, Troops, and Crew 5679 in the High Desert.

­Coming Events

The National Annual Meeting of the BSA is in Orlando the first week of May, and I will be joining several other board and staff members to attend that conference.  We should return with new information and ideas to make our program even better.

As always, please let me know if you have questions, ideas or would like one or more of your Key 3 to attend your event.

John Vineyard

CIEC Council President 2024

johnvineyard@yahoo.com. 

Headlines

Please welcome Steve Smith to the California Inland Empire Team serving as the Assistant Scout Executive. Across his 27-year career, he has served in many capacities in the Long Beach Area Council, Orange County Council, Verdugo Hills Council, Sequoia Council, Pacific Skyline Council, and most recently as the Director of Support Service from Greater Los Angeles Area Council.

We look forward to learning from Steve and are excited to have him join our team. He is a graduate of Long Beach State with BA in Education, Multiple Subject. Steve and his wife, Linnea have a daughter, Emily. He enjoys sports, computers, and bowling. Steve is member of So. Cal Bowling Hall of Fame and a 2-Time Collegiate All-American.

Register for Camp Service Day

 Register for Camp Emerson Camporee

Register for BSA Aquatics Courses

Summer Camp Merit Badge Registrations are open

Register for Wood Badge

Check Out What's Coming Up!

Safety Moment

Annual Health and Medical Record

SUMMARY

The Scouting adventure, camping trips, high-adventure excursions, and having fun are important to everyone in Scouting—and so is your safety and well-being. Completing the Annual Health and Medical Record (AHMR) is the first step in making sure you have a great Scouting experience.

GENERAL INFORMATION

• The BSA Annual Health and Medical Record (often known as the “medical form” or “annual physical”) is designed to help ensure that all participants in the Scouting program are healthy enough for the adventure of Scouting. It is not intended to limit participation but to inform and protect.
• To keep up with possible changes in health status, the form needs to be updated annually or when a participant’s health information changes. The record expires in one year.
• The four-part form serves as a single place to document a participant’s medical history and recent medical examination. It also provides consent for treatment in the event a participant needs emergency care while traveling away from a parent or guardian.
• Parts A and B should be completed for all participants and Scouting leaders. Part C should be completed by a licensed health care provider (M.D., D.O., N.P., or P.A.) before the participant attends any Scouting event that is longer than 72 hours, such as a summer camp, trek, or multiday excursion.
• The optional “High Adventure Risk Advisory” (formerly known as Part D) needs to be shared with the examining medical provider during the pre-participation examination to explain known health risks for each of the BSA’s four high adventure bases. Additionally, your council may develop a risk advisory specific to your council camps or other properties or events.
• The forms should be maintained by a designated leader. To assure privacy, the forms should be carefully stored and used only as needed to provide for planning and rendering care. The AHMR should not be scanned, stored, or sent electronically except as specifically directed for a BSA national event such as the national jamboree or NOAC.
• Neither the BSA nor the Annual Health and Medical Record are subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). A Scout is Trustworthy: Records and sensitive information should be maintained in a private manner.

RESOURCES

• AHMR Landing page
• AHMR Frequently Asked Questions
• Medication Use in Scouting
• Guide to Safe Scouting, Medical Information and First Aid

The purpose of Newsletter is to communicate information on upcoming events, if you have something you want publicized, please send it to Brian Paquette