Spring Break Camp at T. Brady Saunders will be held April 9 – 13.  The registration fee is $180 per participant  and NOW adult leaders are $90 per person!!!

Let your Scouts enjoy a week of Summer Camp, IN THE SPRING!
Spring Break Camp at Camp T. Brady Saunders is similar in function to a week of summer camp.  However Scouts will have the opportunity to earn required badges and other merit badges not normally offered during a week of summer camp!

All meals will be served at the dining hall and the trading post will be available to help meet your merit badge needs!  Fun, nightly activities, including games and open program areas, will be available for Scouts.

For more information, please go to http://bradysaunders.net

The Heart of Virginia Council qualified to receive the 2011 Journey To Excellence Gold Level of Recognition from the Boy Scouts of America!  In its first official year of use, the Journey To Excellence (JTE) recognition program of Scouting has been a big hit with Scouting Units, Scouting Districts and Councils.  JTE, as it has become known, recognizes and measures improvement in youth camping, advancements earned by members, adult leader training, youth retention, commissioner service to units, youth membership, fund raising and financial strength and service hours to the community.  It is the most effective annual measurement that the Boy Scouts of America has ever utilized and has been embraced by volunteer and staff in all programs!

Welcome to this website of the Heart of Virginia Council of the Boy Scouts of America and thank you for your support and involvement with the greatest youth development program in the country.  Incorporated in 1910, it has served several generations of families all over America with programs of leadership and character development, citizenship training, personal fitness, and a whole lot of fun. 

We are very proud of our local council that serves 24 counties and 4 cities and which will celebrate its 100^th anniversary during 2013.  Scouting remains a strong, viable and fun way of life here in central Virginia and now has some 14,000 young people involved with 500 Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Venturing and Exploring units chartered to local community organizations.  These units and youth members are supported by over 5,000 adult volunteer leaders, 9 district committees and commissioner staffs, a 75-member council volunteer executive board and a dedicated council staff comprised of 17 BSA-commissioned professional Scouters, 10 office support staff, 2 full time camp rangers, and 16 part time staff who serve as Scoutreach program aides.  80 seasonal summer staff members support and operate the two council summer camps from June until August:  The Cub Scout and Webelos Adventure Camp (CWAC) and Camp T. Brady Saunders, both located on the beautiful Heart of Virginia Scout Reservation in Goochland County.

It is our mission to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes based on the values of the Scout Oath and Law.  Our ‘Main Thing’ is to ensure that we serve an ever-increasing number of youth members with quality a Scouting program. 

Let us know how the council can be of service to you.  The website has numerous places for you to click to give you information about forming a Scouting program, finding a unit for a youth to join, making a gift, finding out ways to volunteer, where to go camping, adult training programs and how to register, how to register for summer camp and many more services. 

Feel free to drop me an email at brad.nesheim@scouting.org or phone me at 804-204-2611.  If I’m not available, call Ellen Milano at 204-2610 and speak with her.  We want to get you the support that you need. 

Best wishes.  Thank you for supporting the mission of the BSA!

Between January 20th and May 31st a commissioner or council staff member should visit with unit Key 3′s to have a conversation about Scouting, the unit’s Journey To Excellence and what supports district and council volunteers and staff can better provide. Please e-mail your next unit Key 3 meeting date to todd.martin@Scouting.org.

Unit Key 3 visit outline

Introductions &brief discussion of how we each of us got involved in Scouting and what our current role is
Profile of the chartering organization and the community it serves
Health of the unit
Strengths and challenges     
What do you need help with
What do you see as the role of the district and council
Journey To Excellence
Friends of Scouting
How can we communicate better to ensure we are working in sync with one another
Summarize any action items
Close

The Heart of Virginia 2011 Council Recognition Night, a festive evening of fun, fellowship, inspiration, and recognition, is being planned for Thursday, March 22, 2012.  The Gala features a program of entertainment with a reception following the event. The Council’s highest volunteer recognition, the Silver Beaver Award, will be presented to deserving Scouters.  Adult volunteers will be recognized for their work done during the 2011 Scouting year.  Everyone in attendance will receive a copy of the 2011 Annual Report of the Heart of Virginia Council, BSA, celebrating our highlights and achievements from the past year.  New this year is an optional traditional Scouting dinner at 6:15 PM, followed by the Gala at 7:00 PM.  The cost is only $15-$20 per person.  

Scouts who earned the Eagle rank during 2011 are invited as guests of the council.  Please consider supporting an Eagle Scout by being a sponsor for this event.  The cost is only $25 per Eagle Scout and sponsors will be listed in the program.

For more information and to reserve your spot please follow this link>>

Registration for the merit badge program at the Virginia War Memorial is now live at:  https://www.doubleknot.com/registration/calendardetail.asp?ActivityKey=1064650

Every other Saturday,  from January 7,  2012 – February 18,  2012,  11:00 AM – 1:00 PM,  Dremel will launch its Pinewood Derby® Days programs at all participating Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. Pinewood Derby enthusiasts will have the opportunity to learn how to shape their Pinewood Derby® racers with Dremel tools and accessories. Each Pinewood Derby® enthusiast will get a Pinewood Derby® Days patch (while supplies last)!  [Try to arrive close to 11:00 since this is a scheduled demonstration and not an "open house", so it may end early if there are only a few participants and the scheduled agenda is completed early.]

More information and derby car ideas are available at http://www.dremelderby.com/