Alamo Area Council

 
Boy Scouts of America

Unified Focus On Youth

covid-19

Alamo Area Council Response to Coronavirus COVID-19

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Alamo Area Council UPDATED Response to Coronavirus COVID-19 as of
Tuesday, September 2, 2020

Council Covid-19 Response Guidelines as of 9-2-2020Download
AAC Unit Restart Guide BookDownload

UPDATE: Governor Greg Abbott has issued Executive Order 29 requiring all Texans to wear a face-covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces, with few exceptions, in counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases. Open Texas checklists are now updated consistent with this order. The Governor also issued a proclamation giving mayors and county judges the ability to impose restrictions on some outdoor gatherings of over 10.

~ Executive Order No. GA-29, July 2, 2020, https://open.texas.gov/

Dear Scouting family,

Under the updated developments regarding COVID-19 through the State of Texas Governor’s Office, Bexar County in coordination with San Antonio Mayor Nirenberg’s Emergency Declaration and Orders, and nationally through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Alamo Area Council strives to safely and strategically support local Scouting activities in our 13-county service area.

Scouting Adventure is a balance of Scouting at Home, Family Camp, and safe in-person meetings and activities. 

With safety protocols that include social distancing and with required face masks, the Alamo Area Council Service Center has the following in person business hours –

THE COUNCIL OFFICE IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 9 AM – 5 PM. The Musselman Scout Shop is open 9 am – 5 pm Monday through Friday and 10 am – 2 pm on Saturdays.

Council staff is available for support by phone, email, or website chat from Monday through Friday 8:30 am – 6 pm.


All units can have in-person meetings and any Scouting activity, provided they follow all guidelines as set forth using the ReStart Scouting Checklist AND by The Governor’s Strike Force to Open Texas and your local authorities. 

If indoors, meetings and activities must be in groups of ten or less, cloth face coverings must be worn and all individuals must maintain social distancing of six feet or more. People over the age of 65 are encouraged to stay home as much as possible. 

Outdoor meetings and activities must follow the Governor’s “Open Texas” Checklists which set minimum standard health protocols for Youth Clubs and Youth Club Participants (revised June 3, 2020):

Please check with your sponsoring organization’s guidance if you plan on utilizing their meeting spaces. Unit meeting facility rental opportunities within Alamo Area Council properties are available.

Patrol meetings over the phone or video conferencing, merit badges delivered online, webinar training for leaders, and virtual Roundtables and District meetings continue to be an effective and encouraged part of Scouting.

Scouting at Home www.AlamoAreaBSA.org/ScoutingatHome will continue successful programming and Scout TV News will grow as a resource – www.AlamoAreaBSA.org/ScoutTV.

A complete listing of event changes will be published on our Council calendar, within our Digital Adventure Guide magazine, and posted to our social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube.

Should you have any questions or concerns about a specific upcoming event or activity, please reach out to your local district executive or email the Council Leadership team at Safety@AlamoAreaBSA.org or the Outdoor Adventure department at Adventure@AlamoAreaBSA.org.

We will do everything we can to answer your question using the information available to us to evaluate the situation and make decisions in the best interest of our members, volunteers, and employees. With safety in mind, we are happy to encourage you and your Scouting family to SCOUT ON! 

Please check back on our website www.AlamoAreaBSA.org for the latest guidelines as this is an evolving situation and any of these guidelines are subject to change. We will take additional steps as needed.

Our most updated Council response to Coronavirus COVID-19 can be found online at www.AlamoAreaBSA.org/Covid19. 

Yours in Scouting,

Angel Martinez, PR Director 
Boy Scouts of America, Alamo Area Council

New Advancement Updates Posted on the BSA Covid-19 FAQ

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Each week brings new questions about how the BSA is handling a variety of issues connected to the ongoing situation with COVID-19. Frequently Asked Questions and answers concerning In-Person Unit Activities, Camping This Summer, and Advancement are updated on the National website.

The most recent updates are indicated by a diamond in front of the question. The latest updates can be found at:

COVID-19 FAQ

New questions and answers are added regularly to the FAQ, so we encourage you to check back frequently for the latest guidance from the National Service.

A Scout is Helpful

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As all Scouts and Scouters know, the third Scout law is “a Scout is helpful.”  Ron Buckner, a long-time volunteer with Troop 157 and the Coyote District, along with his family are doing just that.  Ron, his wife Kathy, and their daughter, Jenny, are putting their talents and several yards of scrap material to good use making non-medical cloth face masks.  Jenny has a long-standing sewing hobby and has collected many yards of brightly colored and patterned cotton material over the years. The Buckner family embodies the part of the Scout oath, “…to help other people at all times;” by working together to produce over 1000 masks which they have donated to different organizations across the greater San Antonio area.

For more information you can reach out to busybeezboutique@gmail.com.

A big “Thank you” to the Buckner family from the Alamo Area Council for being a shining example of the Scout oath and Scout law.

 

Our New Normal

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We’ve all heard the phrase ‘it’s hard to see the forest past the trees’, and this could not be more true in these trying times. With so much going on in our community, our state, our nation and in the world it’s easy to get lost in the isolation that is our new normal. But the fact is Scouting is more alive than before!

With the COVID-19 Pandemic all around us, so much of our lives have changed drastically. No longer can we get up and go to simply grab a bite to eat, or “run into Marshalls” because I have 30 minutes to kill before my Scout meeting. Our daily routines have been tossed out the window and we are faced with a challenging time of social distancing and isolation. Our new normal is working from home, eating at home, schooling at home…Scouting At Home is our new normal.

Our new normal is a Zoom meeting or a hangout on Google. Scouting is truly happening in the comfort of your own home or back yard. Take Troop 809 for example. This Alamo Heights Troop has been the largest Troop in the Alamo Area Council for probably half of my life with over 230 registered youth at last glance. Today they held their first virtual Troop meeting with 100 youth and adults using Zoom videoconferencing. Scoutmaster Tim Corley said he couldn’t be more proud of his Scouts, “…our youth planned the meeting with a solid agenda, and held a COVID-19 briefing with a shared PowerPoint presentation created by one of our patrols. Our youth also publicized the meeting and coordinated the entire technological setup”. Mr. Corley and the leaders of Troop 809, are looking forward to continuing their Troop’s Scouting activities while practicing social distancing.

Scouting is alive in so many household across the region, and while the Alamo Area Council’s doors may not be open, we are here to serve you. We aim to continue bringing the quality programming and excellent service you’ve come to know. We are on a mission to keep Scouting Alive! That’s why we introduced our Scouting At Home initiative last week. Scouting At Home gives you access to a variety of resources and online tools so you can continue Scouting. Our new normal is live Scouting events and Zoom Merit Badge Classes.

So in this time of “new normals”, let’s keep Scouting alive! I invite each of you to share your Scouting At Home story as an encouragement to others. Scouting will continue for generations to come if we come together, embrace our new normal, and take this opportunity to truly live by the Scout Oath and Law. What a time it is to be brave. What a time it is to be reverent! “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” -Luke 1:37

Yours In Scouting,

Michelle A. Chapman

Click here for the Council’s latest response to COVID-19

Click here to find out more about Scouting At Home

Click here to share your Scouting At Home story

A Scouter’s Message on Leadership during Coronavirus

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The Scouting movement has helped provide a moral foundation to Americans through a Great Depression, a Great Recession, two World Wars, multiple “Military Actions”, and many more crises. These times and the ability for those in the U.S. to overcome them is what define us, not the tragedy and conflict of the current events.

I am honored and humbled to have been a part of four different Scout Councils that I still have enduring friendships with. I have recently received e-mails from all four Councils re: Coronavirus preparation and cancelling of events. All prudent actions. But what I am hearing nothing about is the grounding of our ideals and our mission. Now is the time to continue to reinforce the values that we believe in and are trying to impart to our youth.

Let’s continue to “Live the Values”. I’m eager to hear more messaging on how we can reinforce our core values to help our community & nation through this.

My personal litany of the Scout Law for these times:

Trustworthy – I will not repeat unfounded rumors sourced on social media.

Loyal – I will help my family, community and nation by continuing to work to ensure that the “optimized” (aka fragile) supply chain endures.
Helpful – I will help people understand that this too shall pass and we will be stronger for it so we should not panic.
Friendly – I will not harm others by my acts, deeds or omissions and I will strive to unite with others while maintaining personal boundaries.
Courteous – I will be courteous and patient with my dealings with others in public while there are high levels of stress.
Kind – I will use this as an opportunity to be kind to everyone and everything impacted
Obedient – I will abide and follow the rules being imposed to manage the stresses in our economy to ensure we meet the needs of the community rather than the individuals.
Cheerful – I recognize that our attitudes are the primary thing that will help us through these stressful times and I will be contagiously Cheerful.
Thrifty – By conserving resources I will do my part in relieving stress on the supply chain and help the business provide food & supplies to those in need.
Brave – I will not let this pandemic keep me from “doing the right thing” by living the Values of Scouting.
Clean – I am reaching new levels on this and recognize that soap & water have always provided more cleanliness than hand sanitizer. (And I’ve spent WAY too much time on trails to sweat lack of toilet paper).
Reverent – My religion teaches me that I will hold in my heart 1 Corinthians 10:13 which essentially says that God will give me no trial that I cannot meet.
I am sure you have your own.
Please do not just focus on “Being Prepared” but on the Values of Scouting and how our ideals and duty to country will strengthen our community in this crisis.
Vaya con Dios,
~ Biscuit
Scouting Adventures