Message From Our Council President

It is an honor and privilege to serve the Scouts and families of the CIEC. I look forward to getting to know many of you as together we build on the great work that sustained Scouting in the Inland Empire during a very challenging time.  Past president Jim Prior is a stellar leader and the embodiment of Scouting’s principles. He is an example for all of us and one of my heroes.  We are very grateful for his leadership and service.

Those principles, especially Scouting’s well-known motto, are the basis for how the board will work during the next several years to build a sustainable program to serve our communities.  I went back to Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys to see how the founder of Scouting defined that motto:

Be Prepared means you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your DUTY.

• Be Prepared in Mind by having disciplined yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know the right thing to do at the right moment, and are willing to do it.
• Be Prepared in Body by making yourself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it.

The council officers will work to ensure that the CIEC is prepared and able to do the right thing at the right moment to meet the needs of our Scouts and families today and in the future. We will focus on finances so that we have the resources we need; and on building our membership to reflect the communities we serve.

To secure and stabilize our finances, we will first work to understand exactly how we are using our resources so that the board can make decisions that best serve our Scouts.  With that understanding we will build an annual surplus, eventually enough to cover six to twelve months of expenses for Scouting activities.  Once we achieve that surplus, we will work to build an endowment fund to provide even greater financial security for the future.

The council will work with Units and Districts to understand their communities and support them with expertise and tools to recruit Scouts that reflect those communities.  At the same time, we will look for board members who have the experience and skills to help deliver on the promise of Scouting.

Scouting is woven into our national, state and local history, and is part of the fabric of my life.  I look forward to working with the council officers, the executive leadership and the families and friends of the CIEC over the next two years to ensure that we are prepared to carry the principles of Scouting into the years ahead.

Donna Baker, Council President