Texarkana, Texas, January 7, 2015- The Boy Scouts of America, Caddo Area Council, will receive a $150,000 donation from the Texas Pioneer Foundation on Friday, Jan. 9, 2015, at 2 p.m. at the Perot Scout Service Center located at 24 Lynnwood Drive, Texarkana, Texas. The donation will enable the Council to establish a new development initiative including the addition of a development officer who will focus on fundraising campaigns and building greater community support and awareness of scouting programs in our region. Funds raised through development efforts will assist area Boy Scouts with the costs of participating in scouting activities and will help provide first class scouting experiences and facilities for the Caddo Area Council service region.
“We are so very grateful for the generous gift from the Texas Pioneer Foundation to help in the establishment of the Council’s development efforts that will lead to a stronger financial base for our organization,” said Guy Wilemon, Executive Director of the Caddo Area Council. “The gift of $150,000 will be multiplied several times over by the Council by providing the means to establish a development initiative that will help sustain regional scouting programs well into the future. By investing in the lives of young people who participate in scouting programs, our community will see a huge return on their investment from their leadership and values that will carry over into our workforce and society as a whole.”
The Council recently named Julie O’Neal as its new development director. The duty entails establishing a robust fundraising and year-long awareness campaign for the Council and support of scouting activities throughout the eleven-county service area. O’Neal and her husband, Tim, have one son, Daylan, who has been active in scouting for the last six years and reached his goal of becoming an Eagle Scout in 2014. O’Neal’s first major event is the upcoming Friends of Scouting fundraising luncheon which is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, 2015, at 11:30 a.m. in Texarkana College’s Truman Arnold Student Center Great Room. A $25,000 presenting sponsorship from Texana Bank will kick-off the annual fundraising event. O’Neal is currently working to obtain additional corporate sponsorships for the luncheon.
The Caddo Area Council of Boy Scouts has more than 4,000 active members who embrace the over-arching national motto of “Prepared. For Life.” The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical choices over their lifetime by instilling in them values of the Scout Oath and Law. The Caddo Area Council consists of three districts that serve 10 counties in both Arkansas and Texas and include the (1) Cossatot District serving Howard, Little River, Polk and Sevier Counties, Arkansas; (2) Double Eagle District serving all of Texarkana, along with Miller, Hempstead, Nevada and Lafayette Counties, Arkansas; and (3) Longhorn District serving Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas.
For more information, please visit the Caddo Area Council website at www.caddobsa.org
or call 903-793-2179.
