BOY SCOUT TROOP 649 - ESCONDIDO
  • Home
  • 649 Activities
    • Upcoming Activities
    • Latest Activity page
    • Camporee 2022
    • Summer Camps
    • Troop Meeting Activities
    • Weekend Activities
    • Latest Weekend Activity
  • Resources
    • Public Files
    • Troop Documents
    • Trek Information
    • Eagle Badges Worksheets
    • Leader Files
  • Calendars
    • Palomar Zone Calendar
    • 649 Calendar
    • Artic Tigers Calendar
  • History
    • Scout Master Archer's History
    • Eagle Scouts of Troop 649
    • History of Troop 649
    • History of the Boy Scouts
  • Troop Stuff
    • Pat's Blog
    • Troop Store
    • Troop Positions
  • Links

Eagle Scout class of 2018

2/27/2019

 

Behind every Eagle Scout, there’s a story.
A story of perseverance. Of parents and adult volunteers offering guidance and support. Of merit badges, camping trips and service projects.
Multiply each individual Eagle Scout story by 52,160, and you’ll begin to see just how much impact Eagle Scouts had on their communities in 2018.
Exactly 52,160 young men — representing all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia — earned Scouting’s highest honor last year.
Let’s dive into the numbers.
Putting the number in perspective

With 52,160 Eagle Scouts, the Class of 2018 is officially the eighth-biggest Eagle Scout class in history.
For comparison, 2012’s record-setting class had 58,659 Eagle Scouts. (See the full year-by-year numbers later in the post.)
If all of those Class of 2018 Eagle Scouts wanted to gather to watch some Major League Baseball, there’s only place they could go.
With a capacity of 56,000, only Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles (seen above) is large enough to hold everyone.
To see the full article go to the following Link 
https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2019/02/20/eagle-scout-class-of-2018-a-comprehensive-look-at-the-numbers-behind-the-number/?utm_source=scoutingwire&utm_campaign=swvolunteer2272019&utm_medium=email&utm_content=

Tips for deducting Scouting expenses on your tax return

2/6/2019

 
When Baden-Powell said “Be Prepared,” I’m pretty sure he wasn’t talking about income tax returns.
But still, there’s no better advice than that two-word phrase during tax time.
Scouters who heeded the Scout Motto last year remembered to track and document their Boy Scouts of America-related expenses. And now, they know that they can include those expenses if they plan to itemize their deductions.
But what if you didn’t know that BSA expenses were deductible? Or what if your “filing system” is really your glove compartment that’s stuffed with gas receipts and crumpled-up napkins? And what qualifies as an eligible expense, anyway?
Your fellow Scouters and I are here to help. Along with other Scout leaders on Facebook, I’ve collected some tips to help you track and deduct your BSA-related expenses.
And with the April 15, 2019, deadline approaching fast, there’s no better time than now to get started.
General facts you need to know Further clarification for this section comes from the Taxwise Giving newsletter (November 2016 edition).
  • On IRS Form 1040, “2018 Instructions for Schedule A” [PDF], the Boy Scouts of America is listed by name on page A-9 as a “qualified charitable organization,” so BSA expenses are eligible.
  • Five types of contributions can be deducted:
    • Cash/check donations
    • Property donations
    • “Out-of-pocket expenses you paid to do volunteer work”
    • Uniforms for leaders. “Uniforms that aren’t suitable for everyday use and that you wear while performing donated services for a charitable organization are charitable items in the year purchased,” Carr says. “Scout uniforms for leaders qualify.”
    • The cost of driving to and from BSA events
  • Some types of relevant contributions cannot be deducted:
    • The value of your time
    • Scouting dues or membership fees
    • A contribution to a specific individual. This includes giving to the BSA and specifying a particular person or Scout as the beneficiary of your donation.
  • IRS Publication 526 has lots more info
Easy enough, right? Scouters will mainly be concerned with that third type of eligible deductions, “out-of-pocket expenses you paid to do volunteer work.”
Some items that you purchase to benefit your unit can be deducted, provided your unit didn’t reimburse you for them. You’ll want to check with your tax professional to be sure, but Scouters have told me they deduct merit badge pamphlets, den meeting activity kits, Wood Badge course fees and much more — again, as long as their pack or troop didn’t reimburse them.
However, there’s one expense that I’m certain you can deduct: the cost of driving to and from BSA events.
How to include driving expenses Here’s what the IRS says about mileage:
  • First, you’re eligible to deduct the cost of driving to and from the volunteer work, which would include most BSA activities.
  • You have two options here:
    • You can take the actual cost of gas and oil, OR
    • You can take 14 cents a mile (Note: The 2018 rate for use of your vehicle to do volunteer work for certain
      charitable organizations remains at 14 cents a mile)
  • You can deduct parking and tolls, so add that to the amount you claim under either method above.
  • As a reminder, you cannot deduct any expenses, mileage included, that were repaid to you by your unit, district, council or anyone else.
  • You also cannot deduct insurance or depreciation on the car.
Traveling as a volunteer If you travel as a volunteer and must be away from home overnight, reasonable payments for meals and lodgings, as well as your transportation costs (previous section), are deductible. Also deductible: your transportation costs (air, rail and bus tickets, or mileage as described in the previous section).
This is where it gets tricky. You can’t deduct travel expenses if there’s a “significant element of personal pleasure, recreation or vacation.” But enjoying your volunteer time doesn’t rule out a deduction.
For example, if you’re an on-duty troop leader who takes Scouts on a BSA camping trip, you may deduct those travel expenses even if you had a good time.
Important caveats Next, there’s the tricky part of “gifts from which you receive benefit.” Let’s say, for example, that you attend your council’s annual dinner. Can you deduct that expense? Sort of.
Here’s what the IRS says: “If you made a gift and received a benefit in return, such as food, entertainment, or merchandise, you can generally only deduct the amount that is more than the value of the benefit.”
So if tickets for the council dinner were $75 and the value of the dinner was $35, you can only deduct $40.
Or if you paid $110 for a $100 gift card at a silent auction, you can only deduct $10.
Make sense?
Also, you’ll want to consult a tax professional or the IRS site for individual gifts of $250 or more. There are special rules that apply to those larger gifts.
How to deduct gifts of more than $250 Here’s what Carr says:
If the leader is deducting more than $250 in a single charitable contribution, he or she should maintain a record of these expenses (credit card receipts for travel, copy of a cancelled check for cash donations), as well a letter from the charitable organization showing:
  • Donee’s name
  • Contribution date
  • Contribution amount
  • Indication the donee received no goods or services were in return for the gift.
How tax law changes will affect Scouters Carr says:
For tax year 2018, the threshold for itemizing (filling out the Schedule A) increased from $12,700 for a married-filing-jointly (MFJ) return to $24,000 for an MFJ return.
As a result, a lot of the detailed tracking Scout leaders may have done in the past for charitable givings will no longer be necessary in 2018.
Unless charitable givings, mortgage interest, and state and local tax deductions are greater than $24,000 (MFJ) or $12,000 (single), a Scout leader won’t be itemizing, and as a result the charitable donation won’t be deductible.
Ten tips for keeping track of it all Here are 10 tips your fellow Scouters offered:
  1. Theresa W. keeps a “notebook in the car for tracking mileage! Man, it adds up faster than you think!”
  2. “I update an Excel Spreadsheet with costs, and a folder for receipts,” says Jeff B. “I print out the Excel table when I do my taxes.”
  3. Jamie D. also has a high-tech approach: “I use Mint.com to track all our expenses. I set up a category just for Scouts.”
  4. So does Tom H.: “I have a program called Neat Receipts that comes with a scanner. I use it for my expense reports for work. Just drop the receipts in the scanner then categorize them. Set up a group for Scouting and everything is there at tax time.”
  5. But Michelle H. prefers the low-tech method: “We have a calendar and a folder (calendar stays in the folder) to keep track of everything!”
  6. Patricia L. makes it easy on her accountant: “I keep a file and drop my charitable receipts in it all year. Our accountant appreciated copies of online maps that we used for driving directions. Date, purpose, and mileage all in one place.”
  7. Julus P. doesn’t itemize, but he might start some day. “Scouting is not for profit, and not a hobby. Granted, it feels like a hobby sometimes! I don’t keep track of all these things but really should!”
  8. For Mark F., it’s not worth the trouble. “I don’t keep up with it. I enjoy being a Cubmaster and camp promotions chair, and so far, it’s cheaper than going to NASCAR races and cheaper than maintaining my boat and related gear I use for fishing!”
  9. Shawna R. keeps track of mileage, but not for every trip: “I don’t keep track of mileage for going to the store to pick up Scout items, even if it’s the only thing I’m going to the store for.” That’s probably a good call.
  10. And finally, please remember to heed the advice of Ann O.: “Check with your tax person on what you can deduct. It wasn’t as straightforward as I thought, and the rules seem to change.”
Want even more tips? Find them in the comments section below, and please share your own.
Oh, and good luck!

Meet 109 Scouts who became famous (just in time for the BSA’s 109th birthday!)

2/6/2019

 
The Boy Scouts of America turns 109 years old on Feb. 8, 2019.

​What do you get the youth movement that has everything? A list of 109 Scouts who became famous.  The list includes presidents and Pulitzer Prize recipients, astronauts and athletes, celebrities and CEOs.


Astronauts, doctors, explorers and inventors
  • Peter Agre, biologist who received 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Eagle Scout, Class of 1964)
  • Buzz Aldrin, second man to walk on the moon
  • Dr. James Andrews, surgeon who has treated many high-profile athletes, including Drew Brees and Charles Barkley (Eagle Scout)
  • Neil Armstrong, astronaut and first man to walk on the moon (Eagle Scout, Class of 1947)
  • Lee Berger, National Geographic explorer and paleoanthropologist (Eagle Scout, Class of 1983)
  • Guion Bluford, first African-American in space (Eagle Scout)
  • Thomas Cech, chemist who received 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Eagle Scout, Class of 1962)
  • Roger Chaffee, astronaut who was killed in the Apollo 1 mission (Eagle Scout, Class of 1951)
  • Charles Duke, astronaut and 10th man to walk on the moon (Eagle Scout, Class of 1946)
  • Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of the modern television (Eagle Scout, Class of 1932)
  • Steve Fossett, record-setting aviator (Eagle Scout, Class of 1957)
  • Jim Lovell, astronaut who was commander of Apollo 13 mission (Eagle Scout, Class of 1943)
  • William Moerner, physicist who received 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (Eagle Scout, Class of 1967)
  • Ellison Onizuka, astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion (Eagle Scout, Class of 1964)
  • Paul Siple, Antarctic explorer who coined the term “wind chill” (Eagle Scout, Class of 1924)
  • E. O. Wilson, researcher, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and the world’s top ant expert (Eagle Scout, Class of 1944)


Athletes, coaches and sports executives
  • Hank Aaron, baseball Hall of Famer
  • Willie Banks, Olympian and former world record-holder (Eagle Scout, Class of 1971)
  • Bill Bradley, former basketball player for the New York Knicks and Hall of Famer (Eagle Scout, Class of 1957)
  • Chan Gailey, former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills (Eagle Scout, Class of 1966)
  • Don Garlits, engineer who is considered the father of drag racing (Eagle Scout, Class of 1946)
  • Pat Gillick, retired professional baseball executive and Hall of Famer (Eagle Scout, Class of 1951)
  • Josh Hart, basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers (Eagle Scout, Class of 2013)
  • Steven Holcomb, gold medalist in bobsled at 2010 Winter Olympics (Eagle Scout, Class of 1995)
  • Michael Jordan, former NBA player and current NBA team owner
  • Tommy Lasorda, former baseball manager and Hall of Famer
  • Ewing Kauffman, former owner of the Kansas City Royals and the man after whom their stadium is named (Eagle Scout, Class of 1931)
  • Ray Malavasi, former head coach of the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Rams (Eagle Scout, Class of 1944)
  • Peter McLoughlin, president of the Seattle Seahawks (Eagle Scout, Class of 1971)
  • Emery Moorehead, former tight end who won Super Bowl XX with the Chicago Bears (Eagle Scout, Class of 1969)
  • Jim Mora, former head coach of the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts (Eagle Scout, Class of 1950)
  • Nolan Ryan, former MLB pitcher and current Houston Astros executive
  • Alberto Salazar, three-time winner of the New York City Marathon
  • Mark Spitz, gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer
  • Joe Theismann, former NFL quarterback
  • Shane Victorino, former pro baseball outfielder who won three Gold Gloves (Eagle Scout, Class of 1996)
  • Ken Whisenhunt, offensive coordinator for Los Angeles Chargers and former head coach of Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans (Eagle Scout, Class of 1976)
  • Steve Young, former NFL quarterback and sports broadcaster


Authors and journalists
  • Walter Cronkite, journalist, CBS Evening News anchor
  • Clive Cussler, best-selling adventure novelist (Eagle Scout, Class of 1946)
  • Brandon Mull, author of the children’s fantasy series Fablehaven (Eagle Scout, Class of 1993)
  • Harrison Salisbury, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who covered the civil rights movement, Kennedy assassination and Vietnam War (Eagle Scout, Class of 1924)


Civil rights leaders
  • Ernest Green, civil rights activist and member of the Little Rock Nine (Eagle Scout, Class of 1956)
  • Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights icon
  • Percy Sutton, civil rights leader, Tuskegee Airmen pilot, entrepreneur who revitalized the Apollo Theater in New York (Eagle Scout, Class of 1936)


Entertainers
  • Jack Black, actor in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, School of Rock and the Kung Fu Panda franchise
  • Frank Blair, former host of NBC’s Today show (Eagle Scout, Class of 1930)
  • Jimmy Buffett, Grammy Award-winning musician
  • Tony Cavalero, actor in School of Rock on Nickelodeon (Eagle Scout, Class of 2001)
  • Rob Corddry, former correspondent for The Daily Show and actor in Warm Bodies and Childrens Hospital (Eagle Scout, Class of 1988)
  • Harrison Ford, actor in Blade Runner and the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises
  • Zach Galifianakis, actor in the Hangover trilogy, The Lego Batman Movie and A Wrinkle in Time (Eagle Scout, Class of 1986)
  • Nolan Gould, actor in ABC’s Modern Family
  • Richard Gere, actor in Pretty Woman and Chicago
  • Andy Griffith, actor in The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock
  • William Hanna, animator and voice actor who co-founded Hanna-Barbera (Eagle Scout, Class of 1924)
  • Jon Heder, actor in Napoleon Dynamite (Eagle Scout, Class of 1994)
  • Derek Hough, actor and Dancing with the Stars champion
  • Jay Leno, former host of NBC’s The Tonight Show
  • Andy Lewis, world champion slackliner who performed in Super Bowl XLVI (Eagle Scout, Class of 2002)
  • John Lithgow, Tony- and Emmy-winning actor, known for roles in 3rd Rock from the Sun and The Crown
  • David Lynch, Academy Award-nominated director of The Elephant Man and creator of the murder mystery TV series Twin Peaks (Eagle Scout, Class of 1962)
  • Ozzie Nelson, bandleader and actor who starred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (Eagle Scout, Class of 1920)
  • Jeff Orlowski, documentary filmmaker who made Chasing Ice and Chasing Coral (Eagle Scout, Class of 2000)
  • Chris Pratt, actor in Parks and Recreation and Guardians of the Galaxy 
  • Dan Reynolds, lead singer of the band Imagine Dragons (Eagle Scout, Class of 2004)
  • Evan Roe, actor in Madam Secretary on CBS (Eagle Scout, Class of 2015)
  • Mike Rowe, host of Dirty Jobs (Eagle Scout, Class of 1979)
  • Glen Schofield, one of the creators of the Call of Duty videogame franchise (Eagle Scout, Class of 1977)
  • Steven Spielberg, Academy Award-winning director of Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan(Eagle Scout, Class of 1961)
  • Creek Stewart, survivalist and host of SOS: How to Survive on The Weather Channel (Eagle Scout, Class of 1990)
  • Jimmy Stewart, Academy Award-winning actor in The Philadelphia Story
  • George Strait, Grammy Award-winning musician
  • John Tesh, pianist, composer and Emmy-winning TV host (Eagle Scout, Class of 1968)
  • James Valentine, guitarist of the band Maroon 5 (Eagle Scout, Class of 1996)
  • John Wayne, Academy Award-winning actor in True Grit


Politicians and public officials
  • Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and former New York City mayor (Eagle Scout, Class of 1954)
  • James Brady, former White House Press Secretary (Eagle Scout, Class of 1955)
  • Stephen Breyer, Supreme Court justice (Eagle Scout, Class of 1952)
  • George W. Bush, 43rd U.S. president
  • Tom C. Clark, former Supreme Court justice (Eagle Scout, Class of 1914)
  • Bill Clinton, 42nd U.S. president
  • Gerald Ford, 38th U.S. president (Eagle Scout, Class of 1927)
  • Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense (Eagle Scout, Class of 1958)
  • Jon Huntsman Jr., U.S. ambassador to Russia (Eagle Scout, Class of 1975)
  • John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. president
  • Henry Paulson, former Secretary of the Treasury (Eagle Scout, Class of 1960)
  • Ross Perot, founder of Electronic Data Systems and presidential candidate (Eagle Scout, Class of 1943)
  • Rick Perry, Secretary of Energy and former governor of Texas (Eagle Scout, Class of 1964)
  • Donald Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense (Eagle Scout, Class of 1949)
  • Jeff Sessions, Attorney General (Eagle Scout, Class of 1963)
  • Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State and former CEO of ExxonMobil (Eagle Scout, Class of 1965)
  • Togo West, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Eagle Scout, Class of 1957)


Business leaders
  • Stephen Bechtel Jr., founder of Bechtel Corp., the largest construction and civil engineering company in the United States, benefactor of the Summit Bechtel Reserve (Eagle Scout, Class of 1940)
  • Charles Dolan, founder of HBO (Eagle Scout, Class of 1941)
  • Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft
  • William Gates Sr., philanthropist and father of Bill Gates (Eagle Scout, Class of 1941)
  • Howard Lincoln, former chairman of Nintendo of America and the Seattle Mariners (Eagle Scout, Class of 1955)
  • Bill Marriott, executive chairman of Marriott International (Eagle Scout, Class of 1947)
  • Michael Mauler, CEO of GameStop (Eagle Scout, Class of 1975)
  • Jim Rogers, former president and CEO of Kampgrounds of America (Eagle Scout, Class of 1965)
  • T. Gary Rogers, former CEO of Dreyer’s Ice Cream (Eagle Scout, Class of 1956)
  • Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines (Eagle Scout, Class of 1976)
  • Sam Walton, founder of Walmart (Eagle Scout, Class of 1934)
  • David Weekley, founder and chairman of David Weekley Homes (Eagle Scout, Class of 1969)


Soldiers and war heroes
  • Arthur Eldred, first Eagle Scout and Navy veteran (Eagle Scout, Class of 1912)
  • Thomas Norris, Navy SEAL who received Medal of Honor for his actions during the Vietnam War (Eagle Scout, Class of 1959)
  • Mitchell Paige, Marine who received Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942 (Eagle Scout, Class of 1936)
  • Leo K. Thorsness, Air Force colonel who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War (Eagle Scout, Class of 1949)

    Author

    This blog is created and maintained by Pat Cypher

    Archives

    March 2021
    April 2020
    February 2020
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • 649 Activities
    • Upcoming Activities
    • Latest Activity page
    • Camporee 2022
    • Summer Camps
    • Troop Meeting Activities
    • Weekend Activities
    • Latest Weekend Activity
  • Resources
    • Public Files
    • Troop Documents
    • Trek Information
    • Eagle Badges Worksheets
    • Leader Files
  • Calendars
    • Palomar Zone Calendar
    • 649 Calendar
    • Artic Tigers Calendar
  • History
    • Scout Master Archer's History
    • Eagle Scouts of Troop 649
    • History of Troop 649
    • History of the Boy Scouts
  • Troop Stuff
    • Pat's Blog
    • Troop Store
    • Troop Positions
  • Links