Dear Scouting Family:
We hope that you remain safe and well during these unusual times. Like you, we are carefully monitoring the impact COVID-19 has on our communities and the guidance from our public officials, especially mandated closure dates. For the safety of our Scouts, Scouters and community, we are extending our closures through May 20.
This means all in-person Scouting activities held by units to districts and the Connecticut Yankee Council remain prohibited through May 20. We have previously communicated that our guidance supersedes all other Scouting guidance, including that from the National Boy Scouts of America. Should any guidance from your chartered organization or your local health department be more restrictive, please also follow those restrictions.
We are inspired by our Scouting families for their determination to continue Scouting during these challenging times. Whether it is virtual meetings and activities or making face shields for local hospitals as all Darien Scouts are doing, Scouting continues to thrive across the communities in our Council. Our Scouting at Home page has support for all our programs, including a guide on creating face shields for our healthcare professionals. These activities will help Scouts earn our Scouting at Home recognition patch, which you can learn more about here. We’d love to hear any ideas or resources you have- please share them with us at scoutingathome@ctyankee.org or on our Facebook page.
Today we are launching #ScoutSaluteHeroes, a social media campaign to thank our heroes – from doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers, to police officers and firefighters to grocers and delivery drivers. They are protecting and supporting us during these uncertain times, and we want to thank them. Please work with your Scouts to make a sign with a “thank you” message to your favorite hero or heroes, capture a photo of the sign and a Scout salute (ideally in uniform) and post that photo to social media. We will share your posts on our social media.
We are hosting a virtual campfire this Saturday for our parents and leaders on Facebook Live to discuss the state of our council and answer any questions you have. We hope you can join us- click here to get reminded when we go live.
We are all learning new ways to do Scouting and are succeeding. In many ways, this crisis has brought all of us closer together even from a distance. For over a century, Scouting has been all about being prepared. In a sense, we have been preparing for times like these for over 100 years. Our Scout motto of “Be Prepared” tells us that we are ready for this challenge.
Thank you for all that you do for Scouting.
Yours in Scouting,
David B. Sippin
Council President
Michael Carpenter
Council Commissioner
Michael Morrell
Director of Camping
