Due
to the New York State mandate that all non-essential businesses close
their facilities, we regret to inform you that our retail locations,
service centers, and camps will be closed until the mandate is lifted.
The New York State regulations also mean the suspension of all in-person
meetings until the mandate is lifted.
The New York State Department of Health website provides daily updates: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home
We're
still allowed to have some of our personnel work from home, so if you
have questions about anything Scouting related please do not hesitate to
email Jesse.Markel@scouting.org; Alvaro.Ferreira@scouting.org; or
Jim.McMullen@scouting.org
We
wish you well in these strange times and hope for the very best in
physical, emotional, and financial health for you and your family.
We
encourage units, dens, and patrols to continue to meet virtually during
this hiatus using video or phone conferencing wherever possible. This
is also a great time for Cub Scouts to work on electives and for Scouts
BSA to work on individual merit badge requirements. The Council will
continue to identify resources and content to help you with your virtual
meetings and will share them with you as they become available. If you
have virtual programs you develop and are willing to share, please send
them to us and we will make them available to others.
Status of Council Events
We
are consulting with Niagara Chocolates and the Virginia Nut company to
determine a plan for what will almost certainly be a delayed
distribution of products. We will directly update the leaders of units
that have sold candy & nuts as soon as we have useful details to
share.
And,
please remember this: While the government might not consider Scouting
to be "essential", we all know that it is....it's VERY essential. It's
the very best youth program on the planet and it has been instrumental
in helping to instill character, leadership, life skills, and
preparedness. During the event, and whatever it looks like on the other
side, you will find that what you learned as a youth in Scouting will
benefit you, your family, your employer, and your community immensely.
So,
when we get out of this, let's keep doing what we have been doing for
years as volunteers and staff -- in our units, offices, and summer camps
-- to make sure today's youth are given those same tools to succeed in
good times and bad.
