2015
Annual Report BETTER, STRONGER SCOUTING Arlington Heights Service Center
La Grange Service Center
Robert J. Welsh Service Center
617 E. Golf Road Suite 101 Arlington Heights, IL 60005
811 W. Hillgrove Avenue La Grange, IL 60525
8751 Calumet Avenue Munster, IN 46321
PathwayToAdventure.org
Steve Fossett
Service Center 1218 W. Adams Street Chicago, IL 60607
The State of Scouting
A Note from the Council Leadership
2015 will be remembered as a transition year for four local councils that became one. Pathway to Adventure Council, or PTAC as we call it, established a newly appointed volunteer-lead Program Operations Board and added several new staff advisors. It continues to be our honor to serve the more than 23,000 youth and about 9,000 adult members in our council. We ask that you please take a few moments to read, reminisce, and then recommit to the nation’s premier youth leadership and family enrichment program: The Boy Scouts of America! Our 2015 Annual Report transparently shares PTAC’s impact in its initial year. You will find some remarkable statistics in the report that highlight the value of joining forces. For example: membership growth, popcorn sales increases, and the initiation of our nationally approved STEM Scouts pilot program. Consequently, our biggest challenge is generating more revenue. Although we are budgeting for reduced expenses by $450,000 (2015 vs 2016), we still need to develop deeper ties within all our communities and families to fully fund Scouting’s mission. This area’s laudable transformation was possible because of thousands of passionate and knowledgeable local volunteers who banded together to create better, stronger Scouting for the young people we serve. Their efforts are reflected in the statistics mentioned above, but more importantly they are evident in the youth whose lives have changed for the better through Scouting. Our Journey to Excellence has just begun as Pathway to Adventure Council. At the start of 2016, the service area committees will help us define, track, and implement improvements across all areas: membership, finance, program, camping, and community service. Now is the time for all to join us for better, stronger Scouting! Sincerely,
Craig Burkhardt President
Lou Sandoval Commissioner
Fred Wallace
Scout Executive
2015 Highlights Members PTAC achieved the largest growth in our region for new Cub Scouts recruited year over year (4,891 in 2015 vs 3,189 in 2014) and showed the largest growth in the country for councils that recruit more than 1,000 Cub Scouts per year! • 2.6% gain in Cub Scouts; serving 350 more Cubs at the end of 2015 than 2014 (14,052 vs 13,702) • 0.6% growth in traditional membership--Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Venturers--(22,394 vs 22,252) • 8% growth in Explorers (704 vs 651) & 21% growth in Exploring units (+10) • 1.2% growth in total membership (23,216 vs 22,937)
Program • 8 of our 16 districts had growth in traditional Scouting • 9 of our 16 districts had growth in Cub Scouts • 3 of our 4 communities had growth in both Cub Scouts and traditional Scouting • The new STEM Scouts program launched 11 Labs with 128 total youth!
Popcorn • $2,206,364 in popcorn sales • Units were offered 50% commission on popcorn that exceeded their 2014 sales (largest local unit commission option in the country!)
• Units earned 8% more commission in 2015 than in 2014
Outdoor Adventure Over 6,000 Scouts participated in wonderful outdoor adventures at camp during the summer! • Awarded approximately $50,000 worth of camperships to 404 deserving Scouts • Added new program equipment at our summer camps, including a new fleet of kayaks that were constantly in the lake • Expanded STEM programming, including Napowan’s Skynet STEM Lab and Owasippe’s hands-on experiences with powerful telescopes, and underwater and aerial remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) • Created new marketing materials and events to share the fun of camp • Continued and strengthened support for our camps with help from our staff associations and Order of the Arrow lodges
COMMUNITY SERVICE Pathway to Adventure Council Scouts contributed 145,000 service hours toward projects for veterans’ facilities, schools, religious institutions, retirement communities, parks, food pantries and many other worthy causes.
Highlights continued on back
145,000 service hours last year
2015 Highlights
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Recognitions and Honors • 465 youth earned the Eagle Scout Award, Scouting’s highest honor • 5,207 Cub Scout advancements earned • 3,500 Boy Scout ranks earned • 10,825 merit badges earned • Top 10 merit badges by the numbers: Swimming (757), First Aid (655), Kayaking (537), Rifle Shooting (513), Personal Management (451), Personal Fitness (428), Leatherworking (378), Wood Carving (332), Mammal Study (292), Lifesaving (291) *Bold is Eagle required
• Honored William P. Hite, General President of the United Association - Union of Plumbers, Pipe Fitters, Welders and HVAC Service Techs with the AFL-CIO George Meany Award for outstanding contributions to serving youth in our communities across the United States • Recognized Civic Leaders Mamon and Cynthia Powers of Powers Construction as Distinguished Citizens of Northern Indiana • Awarded community members with the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award: • Joe Guinan, CEO of Advantage Futures • Joe Panarese, Cook County Judge • Matthew Bogusz, Mayor of Des Plaines • Robert Melko, CEO of Bishop Plumbing • Don Hough, MPP Candidate at American University • Recognized Microsoft in Oak Brook as PTAC’s Technology Partner of the Year for conducting advancement programs for over 1,000 Scouts • Engaged several local companies in Trading Tech merit badge clinics: Advantage Futures, CBOE, GlennStar, National Futures Association, Spot Trading, Trading Technologies and XR Trading (122 inner-city Scouts earned merit badges from industry professionals at their offices) • Honored the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) with the Innovation Partner of the Year award for leading three Scouting units in the preparation of experiments that will be delivered to the International Space Station in the summer of 2016 • Shared the impact of Scouting with over 2,200 business leaders in the metals and construction industries • The Johnson Family Make the World a Better Place Foundation committed $100,000 to support career Explorer posts
Financials Statement of Support and Revenue Foundations & Trusts $435,397 (6%) Other Revenue $326,559 (5%) Sale of Product $850,863 (12%) Special Events $958,454 (14%)
Total Support & Revenue: $7,033,368
Statement of Expenses Total Expenses: $8,121,082
Camping/Activity Revenue $2,045,917 (29%)
Program Expenses $7,804,360 (96.1%)
United Way $107,621 (1%) Other Direct Support $254,897 (4%)
Fundraising Expenses $170,543 (2.1%)
Friends of Scouting & Direct Mail $735,404 (10%) Investment Income $1,318,256 (19%)
Administrative Expenses $146,179 (1.8%)