March 6, 2026

The Spirit of Adventure Council Leadership Team wants to hear from you!

Starting on March 9^th, there will be 6 fireside chats being held throughout the council footprint. This is an opportunity to hear about all of the great things the council collectively has been doing as well as the direction that we are going. It also is a chance for us to meet and listen to our most valued resources, our volunteers. We will listen to question, concerns, and suggestions.

The Fireside Chat Schedule is:

Monday, March 9, 7:00pm – Hosted by Northern Light District – Groveland Congregational Church – 4 King St., Groveland – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89952707292?pwd=LlaGFeZmF0fBjObaAbCcrczpPiz19U.1

Meeting ID: 899 5270 7292 Passcode: Fireside

Tuesday, March 10 , 7:30pm – Hosted by Great Blue Hill District – New England Base Camp – 411 Unquity Rd., Milton – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87146071265

Thursday, March 12, 7:30pm – Hosted by Sons of Liberty District – Arlington Policer Department – 112 Mystic St., Arlington – SOL Roundtable Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 869 2846 8909 Passcode: 051947

Date TBD – Hosted by Flintlock District – American Legion Post – 357 Great Rd., Bedford – https://meet.google.com/xym-mxdm-gyk

Thursday, April 9, 7:00pm – Hosted by Great Eastern District – Topsfield Fair Clubhouse – 207 Boston St., Topsfield – Virtual Link TBD

Thursday, June 4, 7:15pm – Hosted by West Wind District – First Congregational Church – 18 Andover Rd., Billerica – Virtual Link TBD

Anyone can attend these Fireside Chats regardless of where you live. If a chat in a different district fits your schedule better, please join us!

If you have any questions or topics you would like to see covered or answered, feel free to send those to us in advance. Please send questions/topics to Jonathan.pleva@scouting.org .

These are open to all Scout Leaders. Hope to see you there!

With last week's snowfall setting the stage, now’s the perfect time to earn your Winter Fun tag — earned just for taking part in a winter activity. Order here: https://experiencebasecamp.org/products/winter-fun

Council Alumnus of the Year

The Council Alumnus of the Year Award is Scouting Alumni’s highest recognition. This award was established to recognize alumni of Scouting America who, over a sustained period, have used the skills and values they learned through their association with scouting to make significant and long-lasting contributions to the scouting alumni movement, to scouting in general and their communities. This is not meant to be another Person of the Year, Good Citizen, or general Philanthropist award.

Please provide;

Name and Address of Nominee
SCOUTING ALUMNI CONTRIBUTIONS: Please describe how the Nominee has contributed significantly to the promotion and/or advancement of the BSA at the local district or council level through Alumni efforts over a sustained period of time through word and/or deed. Include activities, leadership, and specific accomplishments or impact on behalf of Scouting alumni. (Describe in 500 words or fewer.)
COMMUNITY AND CAREER CONTRIBUTIONS: Please describe how the nominee has contributed significantly to the reputation of the BSA through community service and / or distinguished themselves within their chosen career or avocation. (Describe in 200 words or fewer.)
Additional Information: Nominators may attach supporting documentation (up to 3) as deemed necessary. (Supporting documentation may include news articles, letters of support, etc.). This award is not a person-of-the-year, general lifetime achievement, or a different version of the Silver Beaver Award.
Nominations can be sent to; Steve.Burrill@scoutspirit.org No Later Than Friday March 27, 2026.

Don’t miss out on this amazing event! Scouts from all over Massachusetts are invited to participate in the 2026 Scouting Report to the Commonwealth. On Tuesday, April 23rd, Scouts will meet at Nurse’s Hall at the State House in Boston at 9:30am. Scouts will parade into the Senate Chamber, State-wide statistics will be shared with our state officials, and a group photo will be taken. Tours of the State House afterwards are also available. This is a FREE event! There will be an optional Freedom Trail hike following the ceremony.

Insurance

For any unit meeting at a church, Legion Hall, VFW, or other. Or any unit planning on taking a trip. Don't forget to request a certificate of insurance. Certificates are made out to the organization usually requesting it, i.e. First Congregational, 123 Main St., Anytown, MA.

Our new certificates are now available by request. Just send an email to Angela.Rzeszut@scouting.org with the full name and address of your meeting space, trip location, etc. Please allow a few days for processing.

New Program Registration System

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the registration experience, Spirit of Adventure Council is transitioning to a new event and registration system called CouncilWare. This system will streamline the process for camp rentals, district events, summer camp sign-ups, and other council programs. It will provide a more efficient experience for both customers registering for events and for council reporting on the back end.

You can help us begin this transition by creating an account at:

https://mycouncil.scoutingboston.org/

Once your account is created, you will be able to view events you have registered for and, for those involved with District operations, events you are helping to manage.

One important change involves how Spirit of Adventure Council member discounts are applied. During registration for programs such as merit badge classes or summer camp, you will be asked to enter the member ID for the youth you are registering. This ID can be found in your (or their) my.scouting.org account.

As with any new software rollout, there may be some initial issues as we work through the transition. We appreciate your patience and support as we implement this new system.