Friends of Scouting  = Affordable Scouting

FOS FORMS FOS Pledge Card (this is a fill in form you can type on your computer, then print and send in) Matching Gift Letter/Volunteer Service Hours

Friends of Scouting (FOS) is a yearly campaign that provides financial support to our local Council: Blackhawk Area Council, Rockford, Illinois. This support comes from a pledge or donation by a company, organization or individual. National Boy Scouts of America gives councils program support, but not financial support. Each council must raise all its own funds to support its operating budget. Your pledge to FOS helps support that budget. Presentations at Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquets, Boy Scout Court of Honor ceremonies and Venture parent nights provide an opportunity for families to support our council by making a pledge to Friends of Scouting. These presentations take about ten minutes with pledge cards handed out and collected by the FOS Presenter. You might even be able to increase the value of your pledge by visiting your employer’s human resources department to see if they will provide a matching gift. If so, your pledge can possibly be worth twice as much! It takes only a few minutes of your time with tremendous benefits to our council. Does your employer provide financial contributions for volunteer service hours (hours you spend outside the company doing volunteer work)? This is another way for Blackhawk Area Council to reap the benefits of your volunteer time. Just as with matching gifts, an employer will make a financial contribution, based upon your volunteer service hours, to an organization. Blackhawk Area Council qualifies for this type of contribution. So, how can YOU help? By making a pledge to Friends of Scouting right now. Your FOS dollars provide training to the 4,500 adult mentors within our council, help maintain Camp Lowden in Oregon, Illinois and Canyon Camp in Stockton, Illinois, our council facility in Rockford and programs for the 20,000 scouts in our council. “I promise, to do my best…” are not just words. They are the standards by which scouts and scouters, volunteers and professionals live. Friends of Scouting helps these ideals come alive for today’s youth with your help and financial support. It will cost $140 per scout in 2011 to provide these scouting opportunities. Please consider making a pledge today because every pledge makes a difference.

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Remember: Friends of Scouting = Affordable Scouting