Special Service Programs
Order of the Arrow
The Order of the Arrow was founded during the
summer of 1915 at Treasure Island, the
Philadelphia Council Scout Camp.
Treasure Island was part of the original land grant given to
William Penn by King Charles II of England.
The camp was located on a 50 acre wooded island located in the
Delaware River between New Jersey
and Pennsylvania.
E. Urner Goodman was camp director and Carroll A.
Edison was assistant director. During preparation for the camp they both
wanted to create some form of recognition for those scouts who best
exemplified the spirit of the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives.
Since the Delaware
Valley was rich in Indian
tradition, and the island had been used in early times as an Indian camping
ground, it seemed only natural to base this society, this brotherhood of
honor campers, on the legend of the Delaware Indians.
In 1915 Unami Lodge was formed. As word spread, more
councils requested information about the program. Additional lodges were
formed and in 1921 the first national convention was held in
Philadelphia.
In 1922, it became an official program experiment of the Boy Scouts
of America. At the National
Council Annual Meeting in 1934 the Order of the Arrow program was approved
by the National Council. In May 1948, the National Executive Board
officially integrated the Order of the Arrow into the Scouting movement.
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photo gallery.
Tribe of Mic-O-Say
The Tribe of Mic-O-Say is an H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation honor
camping program, based upon the intensification of the principles and
ideas of Scouting. Its purpose is to provide recognition for boys who
have demonstrated and proven their devotion to Scouting even beyond the
extra mile. It is a boys
program guided and inspired by adults.
Adult leaders are brought into the Tribe so that they may
interpret and encourage the use and application of those principles in
the lives of boys.
In 1922, H. Roe Bartle became the first Scout Executive
of the Central Wyoming Council at
Casper,
Wyoming.
He created an honor camping program to recognize those scouts who
showed the highest devotion to the ideals of Scouting. The program was
founded on the heritage, culture and ideals of the American Indian.
In 1925, Bartle was selected as Scout Executive in St. Joseph,
Missouri. In May of that year he held a special
ceremony at Camp Brinton
at the end of a Boy Scout training program. This simple beginning developed
into the Tribe of Mic-O-Say. This honor camper program was established in
the Pony Express Council and is still in existence today. In 1928, he was
transferred to the Kansas City Area Council. Under his leadership the Tribe
of Mic-O-Say became a vital
force in inspiring young men to live the Scout Oath and Law.
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photo gallery.
Eagle Scout Associations
The
Knights of Dunamis was founded in 1925 by Raymond O. Hanson, Scout Executive
in San Francisco, California.
Its purpose was to promote fellowship among Eagle Scouts and to retain Eagle
Scouts in service to Scouting after they received their award. The program
spread from coast to coast. Through the years the Knights of Dunamis has
experienced periods of dynamic growth, near extinction and repeated revision
of its Constitution and By-laws. After many changes in the 1960s, the
National Chapter of the Knights of Dunamis was approved by the National
Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America. The ceremonies for member
advancement were based on the heraldry of knighthood of old.
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photo gallery.
The
National Eagle Scout Association was founded in 1972. It maintains contact
with Eagle Scouts to sustain their interest in Scouting. Any Eagle Scout may
join the association and lifetime memberships are available. Members usually
provide service and leadership through their local council. Men of any age
who have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout are eligible to join even if they
have not been active recently.
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for photo gallery.
Alpha Phi Omega
The Alpha Phi Omega is our National Service
Fraternity. The first chapter was established at LaFayette College,
Easton,
Pennsylvania
on December 16, 1925, by Frank Reed Horton and thirteen undergraduates
and six advisors. Since 1925, 88,000 members have been affiliated in
chapters on college and university campuses.
Alpha Phi Omega is approved by the National Council of the Boy
Scouts of America as the college service organization for scouts and
former scouts. The fraternity, however, is self-governing and
self-supporting. The chapters render service to the student body and
faculty; to youth and community; to members of the fraternity; to the
nation as participating citizens.
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