How Scouting innovation is Playing Well in Peoria

Hello again!  I really have to hand it to the W.D. Boyce Council in Peoria, IL. They sure know how to stir up interest in raising money!

I just watched a YouTube video produced with these Peoria Scouts trying to raise money for a new shower house at the Ingersoll Scout Reservation, one of the BSA council camps in this area of Central Illinois. What a hoot!

I won’t give away the plot – you really need to watch the film – but the theme of their fund-raising campaign is “Blowin’ Up the Shower House.” I’ll let your imagination take it from there. (And I assure you that this is all fiction – no live explosives in this adventure!)

All the actors are Scouts from this council, which makes this feature all the more special. People can donate online or by purchasing tickets to see the short film at the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s Giant Screen Theater – it premiered June 30^th.

Traditional fundraisers have their own benefits, but this kind of outside-the-box thinking really rises to the top of how we can demonstrate Scouting’s innovative approach to problem solving. This creative money maker really got some mileage in local media, with stories appearing both in the local newspaper and on TV.

Nice work, Scouts!  Hats off to Scout Executive George Clay and his staff with the W.D. Boyce Council for pulling off a winner! Innovation is what can make all the difference in how we deliver a quality Scouting experience. These are creative problem-solving skills that will serve our Scouts well.

What do you think of this novel approach to what, on the surface, first appeared to be a routine council fundraising issue?  Share your views here!

Thanks!

Wayne