Great Southwest Council Home Page

Great Southwest Council, Boy Scouts of America Heading

The office is open from 9am-5pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

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Scouting Friends,

With the end of the year around the corner, I want to make sure you are aware of some special tax advantages available in 2021 that can help you provide crucial support to the the Great Southwest Council and the Scouts in our area. We are sharing this information with everyone in the Scouting donor community to make sure you have the tools you need to navigate this tax year. Here are two important benefits that expire after Dec. 31, 2021:

Individuals who take the standard deduction on their federal tax returns can deduct up to $300 in charitable cash contributions from their income. (Typically no deduction is allowed.)
Those who itemize can claim an income tax deduction for charitable cash contributions of up to 100% of adjusted gross income (up from 60%).

I encourage you to learn more about these time-limited tax benefits we have included a link to the IRS web site Charitable Contributions | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov) and, if you haven’t already, consider making a charitable contribution that suits your individual situation. Give - Boy Scouts of America (scouting.org) Yours in Scouting, Mike GSWC President

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Be A Scout!

Interested in Joining Scouts? Contact Mary at mary.mazza-andersen@scouting.org or 575-209-9004. You can also see nearby units by zip code at BeAScout.org. We hope to hear from you soon!

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It's Time to ... Recharter!!!

The 2022 rechartering season has started! We encourage all units to log into the tool as soon as possible.

Why?

To ensure that your unit has access! This year, only unit Key 3 (or Key 3 delegates) can access the tool. Let's ensure there's no glitches with someone from the unit being able to see the recharter function.
To get familiar with the new features of the recharter tool. There's been lots of changes. One of the most significant is that a unit will no longer need to bring any paperwork by the Scout Office! Any paper forms can be uploaded through the tool and submitted electronically.
To see what's there and start to put together a game plan of what needs to be done. You can see what adults need Criminal Background Check (CBC) forms, or need to update their Youth Protection Training (YPT). Or which folks you thought were registered aren't showing up. Or to correct contact info like phone numbers or address changes. If CBC forms have been previously submitted, contact the Council Registrar (Kathy Ferdig, kathy.ferdig@scouting.org, or 505-345-8603, x100, M/W/F, 9am - 5pm). She can research to see if we have the paper forms on file, update the database, and then 24-hours later you can re-load the roster and it should reflect that CBC forms are available. Similarly, if someone completes YPT, give the system 24-hours for it to show up, reload the roster, and they should be showing as current. All these actions take time ... but if you identify the need now, you have time to work them before charters are due on Dec. 15. Start now, not on Dec. 14, and it's a lot easier for all concerned!

If you have questions, you can contact the Council Registrar (see above for her contact info), or the Council Commissioner, Dale Balmer, at dbalmer8@comcast.net. You can also visit BSA's rechartering website at https://www.scouting.org/resources/internet-rechartering/ It has a User Guide (at the top of the home page), useful videos, and an FAQ document (at the bottom of the home page).

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Please Welcome our Merit Badge Sponsors!

New to the Great Southwest Council are Merit Badge Sponsorships. These businesses and groups are Scouting supporters that will also provide opportunities for Scouts to earn merit badges related to their occupational field or interest(s).

Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad - for Railroading Merit Badge

DKD Electric - for Electricity Merit Badge

Facebook - for Digital Technology Merit Badge

McCormack Consultants - for Entrepreneurship Merit Badge

Dr. Steven Komadina - for Horsemanship, Medicine, Public Health and Reading Merit Badges

Albuquerque ER & Hospital - for First Aid Merit Badge

Jiffy Lube - for Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge

TLC - Plumbing Merit Badge

Vaughn A. Johnson Orthodontics - Dentistry Merit Badge

McCormack Consultants - for Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge

If you or your company would like to become a Merit Badge Sponsor, contact your district executive for more information.

Thank you to these Scouting supporters!!!

Scouting for the Whole Family... Scouts BSA Girl Troops Launched!!!

The BSA’s mission is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

Our priority is to bring the benefits of Scouting to more youth while remaining true to our mission.

As of February 1, there are now Scouts BSA Troops open for girls ages 11-17 to join. Contact us to find a nearby Troop or to get assistance starting one for girls in your neighborhood (505) 345-8603.

Click HERE to learn about exciting summer programs available for Scouts BSA girls at Gorham Scout Ranch.

Safe Scouting: BSA Incident Reporting

Timely, clear, concise, and complete incident reports allow for an appropriate response and an opportunity for analysis while promoting continuous improvement of our programs. You can now report incidents, near misses, and youth protection / membership infraction incidents to your local council or enter them yourself.

For information on reporting an incident, including report forms, click HERE

Read the current Trailmarker HERE

Other Announcements:

Partnership for Scouting

Click HERE for the Final 2020 Partnership Report

Please Support Businesses in our Community that Support Scouting!

BSA Gift Plan

Please visit www.bsagiftplan.org

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