2010 Report to the Commonwealth
Boy Scouts Mark 100th Anniversary in the State Capitol Building

RICHMOND�February 8th marked the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. With the assistance of some local Boy Scouts, Gov. McDonnell and the Virginia General Assembly received a special delegation of 25 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts & Venture Scouts in honor of the anniversary.

On Wed., Feb. 17, Geoff McPherson and Ian Shampine, both of Spotsylvania, traveled to Richmond to meet with the elected leaders of the Commonwealth. Geoff earned his Eagle Scout rank with Troop 748 and is now a Venture Scout in Crew 748. Ian is a Second Class Scout in Troop 791. They were accompanied by Hilary Shampine of Spotsylvania, the Committee Chairperson for Troop 791 and Heidi Bass, the District Executive for the Mattaponi District of the National Capital Area Council.

The delegation of Scouts represented the more than 100,000 boys and girls who are in Boy Scouting in Virginia. Gov. McDonnell met with them and shared stories about being a Boy Scout as he grew up in Virginia.

The delegation also met legislators who were Boy Scouts and some who still are in Scouting. Their host, Del. Bill Janis, said there are five Eagle Scouts serving now in the House of Delegates. Sen. Don McEachin made a special recognition from the floor of the Senate for Scouting. Sen. McEachin is also an Eagle Scout.

In honor of the centennial anniversary of Scouting, House Joint Resolution 236 was passed by the House Feb. 9 and the Virginia Senate on Feb. 11. Gov. McDonnell is expected to sign it soon. It speaks of the accomplishments of the Scouting program for Virginia�s youth over the decades, and woven into the language of the resolution are the 12 points of the Scout Law, �A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.� A copy of the bill can be seen by searching for HJ236 on the General Assembly Web site, http://legis.state.va.us/. The 12-point wording in the resolution was crafted by three Eagle Scouts, Del. Janis, and Del. Robert B. Bell, with the help of the Clerk of the House, Bruce Jamerson.

Many legislators were surprised to see a female in the scout delegation. The BSA Venturing program is co-ed and available to youth ages 14 through 20. Two Venture Scouts were in naval uniforms. They are members of a Venturing Crew organized as a Ship, where ranks and achievements are all nautically-based.

Since its founding Feb. 8, 1910, the Scouts� motto and law have not changed, yet the Scouting movement continues to challenge youth and teach the principals of citizenship, leadership, and character building that parents want for their children. In 100 years the Boy Scouts has reached an estimated 112 million youth. For more on the Boy Scouts of America locally or to join, visit www.boyscouts-ncac.org.

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Editors Note: If you would like to review pictures of the Report to the Commonwealth of Feb. 17, 2010, please visit the Governor's website, click here.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell met with Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts during their visit to Richmond, Va., during their Report to the Commonwealth.
Geoff McPherson of Crew 748 in Spotsylvania, Va., presents the 12th Edition of the Boy Scout Handbook to Speaker of the House of Delegates William "Bill" Howell. Mr. Howell was a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award from the National Capital Area Council in 2004.	Eagle Scout Geoff McPherson of Crew 748, and Ian Shampine, a Second Class Scout in Troop 791, watch proceedings from the gallery in the Virginia State Senate
Geoff McPherson of Crew 748, along with Ian and Hilary Shampine of Troop 791, from Spotsylvania, Va., met with their representative, Delegate Robert D. �Bobby� Orrock.

Photos from the event courtesy Heidi Bass.